Eroğlu said, “The world has almost entered the age of epidemics since the 2000s. Many issues that we see and criticize when we look around are actually the reasons that prepared this period,” said Eroğlu.
“Population increase, urbanization, destruction of ecosystem and habitats, wrong interventions in wildlife, wildlife trade, bioterrorism, climate change due to global warming, food shortage, wrong eating habits, gradual decrease in clean water resources and drought, pollution of the environment with non-recyclable wastes, global “Easier transportation, increased resistance to antimicrobial agents are the main ones. The aforementioned problems have turned our world into a patient with clinical symptoms. Today, the main factors that threaten public health and the future of humanity are zoonotic diseases, food safety, antimicrobial resistance, biodiversity and global warming.”
Pointing out that the “one health” concept has emerged in the world for solutions to prevent, be prepared and fight against these complex threats to health and the future of humanity, Eroğlu said:
“One Health Senior Expert Panel, an advisory panel brought together by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE, newly renamed WOAH), and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). (OHHLE) has recently redefined its single health approach, describing it as an integrated, unifying approach aimed at balancing and optimizing the health of people, animals and ecosystems in a sustainable way.
Approximately 61 percent of the existing infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic, and 75 percent of the newly emerging infectious diseases (including Ebola, HIV, influenza, Covid-19) are of animal origin, a total of 1,415 microorganisms that threaten human health and cause infections. It has been revealed that 868 of them have zoonotic characters and 33 percent of them are transmitted from person to person. 80% of the disease agents used for bioterrorism in the world are of animal origin. Known and new or re-emerging diseases can spread rapidly around the world, and millions of people and animals are affected by these zoonotic diseases every year. Rabies, salmonella infections, West Nile virus infection, Q fever, anthrax, brucellosis, tuberculosis, Covid-19, SARS, avian flu, monkeypox, ebola, Lyme disease and parasitic diseases are some of them.
Stating that there are 2.5 billion cases in the world and 2.7 million people died from zoonotic diseases every year until the Covid-19 pandemic, Eroğlu said, “The most common zoonotic diseases in our country, especially brucella (Maltese fever), anthrax, salmonellosis, NCC seen in dairy cattle. we can count fever, rabies, tuberculosis (tuberculosis) and hydatid cyst disease. It has been seen once again how serious a threat to human health is anthrax, which was seen in one of our citizens in Elazig, and rabies, which came to the fore in the Adilcevaz district of Bitlis. Controlling its resources is the most effective and economical way to protect humanity.
The only way to save money without causing disruption in health services in a country is to give the weight of the budget to basic preventive health services instead of treatment services. One health is an important preventive medicine approach that envisions different disciplines and sectors working for a common goal to address complex health threats. Bacterial, viral and parasitic zoonoses cannot be seen in humans if veterinarians prevent them in animals. The patient is now our world. The period of controlling both human and animal diseases with clinical interventions in the hospital is over. Public health and preventive medicine came to the fore. The control of diseases must now be on the field and the preparatory causes must be eliminated.
Eroglu continued:
“In order to operationalize the single health approach in the control of infectious diseases that threaten public health, in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and in ensuring food safety, a ‘one health law’ should be enacted as soon as possible and an appropriate structure should be established in accordance with this law. In this direction, human physicians, veterinarians and related professionals A Disease Control and Monitoring Center (JUDGE) directly affiliated to the Presidency should be established, which includes all occupational groups and will work and create strategies on public health and animal health, including the control and eradication of epidemic zoonotic diseases such as Covid-19.
The main functions of this structure are; Surveillance should cover a wide range of activities such as epidemic intelligence, response, scientific advice, microbiology, preparedness, public health education, international relations, health communication and surveillance of scientific publications, improvement of vaccine supply. The General Directorate of Veterinary Affairs in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the General Directorate of Veterinary Public Health in the Ministry of Health, the Department of Veterinary Affairs in large provinces and the Directorate of Veterinary Affairs in small provinces and districts should be established within the Ministry of Interior and municipalities. I hope that November 3, World Single Health Day will conduce to the health and peace of humanity, and I congratulate this day of all our veterinarian colleagues, who are the main professional group of the single health concept.”