Dr Mandeep Azad, Dr Manmeet Motan
Corona virus affected many and is playing havoc with all. The worst affected are agriculture and livestock sector. A tiger from the New York Zoo has been diagnosed with the virus. Now, many are questioning whether pets and livestock are susceptible to the virus as well as wondering if this particular virus can transfer to other species. While the topic is loaded, experts state that is it highly unlikely animals-pet and livestock will become infected with COVID-19. It is also unlikely that the Corona virus can be spread through interacting with animals. As of the fourth week in April — over four months after the virus was first detected, it had infected over 2.79 million people and spread to over 180 countries. The virus is able to inject itself into cells by binding to a cell surface protein known as ACE2, which is present in many species of animal. Some media reports have shown the corona virus can infect our companion animals. It appears transmission of the disease from human to animal is low, with a tiny number of cases reported since the outbreak’s early days. Importantly, there is no evidence pets can transmit to their owners. The World Health Organization says there’s “no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19.”Still, pet owners are understandably worried about the health of their companions and how COVID-19 might affect them. Animals have always been the loyal companion of humans with being a pet at home or a source of livelihood like livestock farming with dairy, poultry etc. Animals have always emerged as the saviour of human race in one or another way. Today we want to celebrate these beautiful creatures and the veterinarians who heal and treat them. Veterinarians play an important role in animal welfare with treatment, research and extension.
World Veterinary Day
World Veterinary Day was instigated by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) in 2000 to be celebrated annually on the last Saturday of April. The 2020 World Veterinary Day will be held on 25th April 2020 and is an opportunity to celebrate the work of veterinarians to protect our environment. This year theme is Environmental protection for improving animal and human health. Animals affect everyone’s life, whether you’re an animal-lover, animal-hater, animal-eater or animal-saver, and their presence is important. Importance ranges from companionship to food source, and it varies by person. Pets impact our lives in a positive way, as do work animals and food animals. We may not realize how much impact animals have on our lives. Livestock development, particularly if linked with access to financial services, is considered an especially promising option for farmers to get out of poverty. The raising of animals provides both food security as well as a source of increased income. Thus, production of livestock can create sustainable livelihood security for upland farming communities. Today, India has the world’s largest dairy herd and stands first in milk production, with 187 million tonnes (2018-19). India is also the third largest egg-producer in the world, at over 100 billion eggs. India produces around 5.3 million MT of Meat.
Livestock have an image problem in the developed world. They are blamed for everything from global warming to increasing heart disease. Whenever there is a outbreak of of flu, zika or ebola virus infection the sector affected most is the livestock sector. The sale of meat and milk declines as people fear consuming them. Livestock are seen as wasteful, growing fat on grain that people could eat and polluting the environment with their faeces and urine and the gases they give off. But these charges are not true of livestock in the developing world. Ruminants produce methane gas, one of the `greenhouse gases’ – but methane from ruminants accounts for only some 2.5 percent of the total greenhouse gases. Pastures grown to feed livestock take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, tying it up in plant material above and below the ground, just as forests do. True, eating too many animal products may increase the risk of heart disease – but this is a problem of the developed world, not the developing world. Indeed, recent studies from Kenya, Egypt and Mexico show that children who do not get enough meat and milk in their diets may grow up physically and mentally compromised. Rural poverty is marginal in areas where livestock contributes to the agriculture in a greater way. Becoming a Veterinarian is a five year tough course with field application. If you are further interested in masters and Ph.D. you must need few more years of hard work. The system of education is very tough and continuous where theoretical and practical experiences are shared with students. Regular examination and direct exposure to animal suffering and treatment is shown to these students who after in depth, rigorous and long study of 5 years become a full fledge efficient doctors who can treat their patients without talking to them.
Is it still ok to eat foods of animal origin?
The key thing for everyone to remember is this: a person cannot get infected by COVID-19 from consuming, selling, buying or trading food, but must continue to practice good hygiene and food safety measures as always. There are no known human cases of COVID-19 that can be linked to foods of any kind, including meat and products from fish, wildlife, pulses, grains, fruits and vegetables. Equally important – following strict environmental sanitation, personal hygiene and food safety measures to prevent cross-contamination is key to control any food borne illness, ensure food safety, and, overall, reduce the likelihood of diseases to emerge or re-emerge.
General recommendations: Here are some common recommendations on how to properly handle food of animal origin to ensure food safety:
* Cook meat and other animal products thoroughly. This includes also frozen meat where viruses can survive for up to two years of storage at minus 20oC.
* Avoid eating raw and undercooked foods of animal origin (meat, eggs, milk) to reduce exposure to all viruses and other food borne pathogens.
* Prior to and after cooking, meats should always be stored in a way that they cannot contaminate other foods and they cannot be re-contaminated after cooking.
* Keep the environment and all equipment, tools and surfaces clean. The virus from contaminated products once in contact with objects and surfaces can render them infectious up to nine days.
* Most viruses, including corona viruses, however, can be destroyed and removed using most common disinfectants and sanitizers used in food processing.
* Personal hygiene is essential for food safety, and ill people should avoid handling food.
So on this World veterinary day 2020 we should take a oath to prevent any kind of cruelty against animals so that we can exploit their full production potential in a positive way without any harm to these beautiful creatures.
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel