World Veterinary Day (WVD) is celebrated annually on the last Saturday of April. It is a day when the essential work performed by veterinarians around the world is celebrated and promoted. Created by the World Veterinary Association in 2000, WVD reminds us of the importance of animal health care and how veterinarians from various fields and their teams can help.
The Ministry of Industry Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries salutes our veterinarians, especially those at the Veterinary Services Division. Our veterinarians help to safeguard our animal population and by extension the health of us humans, by reducing the risk of disease introduction in animals and animal products. Veterinarians also are involved in animal production, food safety and animal product traceability to facilitate the trade, including export of products of animal origin.
The theme for World Veterinary Day 2019 - “the value of vaccines”, highlights the critical role of vaccine use in animal health. Vaccines are an essential tool for preventive veterinary medicine, promotion of animal health and welfare and reducing the risk of human exposure to many zoonotic pathogens. Vaccines are available against viruses and bacteria, including those against Tetanus, leptospirosis in many animal species and salmonella in chickens. Treatment for secondary bacterial infections can also be reduced with prior vaccination.
Therefore, vaccination programmes can reduce the need for antimicrobial usage and in turn, decreases the risk of development of antimicrobial resistance. The international veterinary profession consequently seeks to educate the public, particularly animal owners and producers and consumers, about the benefits of vaccination to animal, human, and public health.
