Operational policies of zoonoses control

Increasing importance of zoonoses is the result of many different factors as follows: - The technologies available for their diagnosis have been improved; - Control techniques have been further developed; - Zoonoses influence not only health and economic aspects of human society, but also factors related to agriculture and trade; - The prevalence of many zoonoses, and also their social and economic relevance, are changing as a result of actions by man on his environment, e.g. urbanisation, land reclamation, changes in agriculture; - Some zoonoses are emerging as problems because of conditions provided by environmental changes (e.g. infection by Microsporum canis in urbanised areas) or food-processing systems (e.g. presence of Listeria monocytogenes in cold-preserved foods); - Zoonoses are also emerging as a problem for immunodepressed persons and other groups at special risk; These and other factors have led to an increase in the number of infections which are considered as zoonoses, and their importance as public health problems has become greater. As a result, national and international budgetary allotments have been increased in spite of competition with other programs (in public health and agriculture, and elsewhere) which also demand financial support. Owing to the specific nature of infections which are primarily animal-dependent, zoonoses cannot be controlled without a veterinary contribution. Veterinary Services generally possess the knowledge and capabilities for performing zoonoses control.