Veterinary public health: perspectives at the threshold of the 21st century.

Veterinary public health (VPH) is a term officially used by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to provide a conceptual framework and programmatic structure for those public health activities which involve the application of knowledge, expertise and resources in veterinary medicine towards the protection and improvement of human health. It serves as the "linkage" between agriculture and public health. The principles on which VPH is based are deeply rooted in the biological, physical and social sciences, and are widely shared in agriculture, medicine and the environmental sciences. It involves not only veterinarians but also professionals from a host of other disciplines. VPH is dynamic in its scope and functions, and future perspectives are defined by the changing policy and priorities of the health and agriculture sectors. VPH continuously explores the horizons of public health needs for new opportunities in which veterinary medicine has a comparative advantage. The control and eradication of zoonoses and food protection remain the prominent functions of VPH. In the region of the Americas, VPH forms one of the central approaches in the strategic orientation and programme priorities of the health sector, having three strategic foci: the elimination of urban rabies, the eradication of foot and mouth disease, and food protection. The programme of technical cooperation covers the following components: zoonoses, foot and mouth disease, food protection, biomedical models, education and training in veterinary public health, and the development of veterinary public health services.