I’m looking at this blog and feeling a little embarrassed as
I have totally neglected it. I want to
change that….I started writing this when I was doing a capstone project for my
BAS on the communication between human medicine and veterinary medicine,
especially when relating to zoonotic disease.
The emphasis being the importance of public health. I’m posting my PowerPoint presentation so
that you can get an idea of my conclusion of my project.
My project strengthened within me the importance of a
working relationship within the medical professions. I knew changes were needed to some degree,
but let me highlight areas that still stick with me years later…
· When I go to a doctor’s visit, whether routine
or because I’m not quite up-to-par, I’m never asked if I have pets and I can
count on one hand the physicians that have asked me my profession. The importance? Not only can allergies affect various parts
of the body and lower immune system responses, but I am also exposed to
potential diseases/illnesses I would not other be exposed to if I did not have
pets or did not work in an animal field.
· I called the American Medical Association (AMA)
to inquire about their partnership with the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AMVA) on the “One Health Initiative.” It seemed like the best way to get in touch
with a professional (I.e. doctor) through the AMA would be to go through the
members direct line, thinking it would be staffed with trained professionals
(I.e. nurses that would be able to direct physicians to resources for questions
they might have). Instead, I found out
the call center is staffed with on-the-job trained individuals that did not know what “zoonotic” meant, what “One Health”
meant (even though it was on the AMA’s website) and they had no clue what to do
with me (this included a supervisor as well).
I ended up getting in touch with an AMA board member by looking up the
current board members and going down the list and calling their private
practices. One board member called me
and his responses are in the PowerPoint presentation I posted.
· The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)
seemed like a good place to turn for questions on how much they encouraged
medical professionals to communicate to each other in regards to emerging zoonotic
diseases. After a few transfers, I was
sent to the Vice President of Communications, who just as with the AMA call
center, was unsure what to do with me or who to send me to and her
response? “Have you tried the American
Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene?”
Surprising since this is not a tropical medicine issue. Anyone who has pets, works around livestock,
owns a horse, or really, who gardens without wearing gloves when playing in the
dirt, is susceptible to zoonotic disease yet the Infectious Disease Society of
America isn’t aware?
· I called the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), really not sure how willing they will be to talk with a
student. I found out, not very
willing. I was never able to make it
past the News Media Department.
· A call to the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom (DEFRA) was pleasantly surprising. For starters, I had an easier time getting
connected with the right individual than through organizations or the
government within my own country. And
the communication you might ask? Well,
they encourage and regularly collaborate with veterinarians and human medicine physicians.
So, what does all this mean?
Well, we do not quite acknowledge the link between animals (pets) and
disease transmission. The American
medical professionals, whether or not they believe it to be necessary, do not
take the initiative to communicate with each other. And the unexpected, the professional
organizations, such as the American Medical Association and Infectious Disease
Society of American, do not encourage or recommend the professional to intermingle
or exchange ideas. The World Health
Organization (WHO) back in 2005 acknowledged the need for collaboration “By their very
nature, the fields of human medicine and veterinary medicine are complementary
and synergistic in confronting, controlling and preventing zoonotic diseases
from infecting across species.”
So, what’s is my meager little recommendation? Although it seems daunting, we as
professionals need to start pushing the professional organizations to provide
materials and the means to get in touch with both medical sides. Although it would typically be the other way
around, it’s not worth waiting and have a negative impact on our patients and
clients. We are in a time when, more
than ever, people are traveling to other countries and coming into contact with
diseases they otherwise would not be exposes to, pets are being brought into
this country and are living in our homes (and sometimes sleeping in our beds)
and livestock and other food sources are being imported into the United
States. We have all these additional
risks, yet we are not adapting to the additional risks and those that are supposed
to keep up informed are dropping the ball.
At this point, we need to take the initiative and make sure the
resources are available for those newly graduating or entering the veterinary
or medical fields. Not only do we need
to pull our heads out of the sand and protect the public health as physicians,
veterinarians, nurses and credential veterinary technicians, but we need to
avoid reserving spaces in the sand for newer professionals to implant their
heads.
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