By Dr. Arve Lee Willingham
The World Health Organization recently declared that the Zika virus is no longer a global health emergency, but don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Each day brings increasingly threatening diseases to the forefront of public concern.
Take leptospirosis, a bacterial disease spread through infected animal urine that claimed dozens of human lives in the Caribbean in 2016. Or cysticercosis, contracted from the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium, which causes hundreds of thousands to suffer seizures.
Nearly 60 percent of all human diseases are transmitted by animals—it’s hardly a coincidence. These illnesses claim over two million lives annually.
Veterinarians are increasingly manning the front lines in this battle. Today’s veterinarians shoulder far more responsibility than simply giving Fido his shots; they function as public-health warriors, spearheading efforts against such diseases. Millions of people depend on them having adequate training for this critical work.
Dengue fever affects 400 million people annually, while malaria strikes another 200 million. Mosquitos have transmitted deadly diseases for generations.
Local economies also suffer from animal-borne diseases. The Zika virus outbreak reached over 61 countries, and as it spread, tourism in affected regions experienced sharp declines.
Miami’s $24 billion tourism industry felt the impact directly. Plane ticket prices to Miami dropped 17 percent in August due to Zika, reflecting weakened demand. One local restaurant owner saw 70 percent of his customers disappear.
Airlines similarly reduced ticket prices to Latin American countries by over 20 percent following government Zika travel advisories.
A concept known as “One Health” reflects the medical and veterinary communities’ growing recognition that animal health, human well-being, and environmental integrity are inseparably connected. Veterinary schools are at the forefront in training their students to tackle these “one health” crises.
The University of California, Davis’ veterinary-medical program has developed technology to track bird migration patterns for those potentially infected with avian flu, enabling outbreak containment. A 2015 outbreak alone killed 48 million birds and cost the nation over $3 billion.
My institution, the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, conducts on-the-ground leptospirosis and cysticercosis monitoring while researching newly emerging livestock-associated antibiotic-resistant staph infections that might transfer to pet and human populations. Despite mounting global concern, little data exists on these infections. Our researchers seek to understand the disease’s origin and transmission patterns to evaluate its threat to animal and human health. Such knowledge could prevent deaths worldwide.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has undertaken investigation of how mosquitoes’ brains function. By identifying the chemical factors that draw mosquitos to humans, veterinary researchers aim to develop highly effective insect traps.
This represents merely one aspect of the mosquito wars. A partnership between Johns Hopkins and Ross enables students to engage in interdisciplinary study across veterinary and public health fields at both schools. Students gain particular advantage from Ross’s Caribbean location—where many mosquito-transmitted viruses originate.
Ecosystem health demands balance among human health, animal health, and environmental integrity. Against animal-borne diseases threatening both our physical and financial well-being, veterinarians serve as crucial defenders. Veterinary schools must prepare their students to think creatively in this ongoing struggle.
Dr. Arve Lee Willingham BSc DVM PhD is Associate Dean for Research and Postgraduate Studies and Professor of One Health at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine.