Photo: Dr. Janine Seetahal, Clinical Assistant Professor Rabies Section Head, Kansas State University
by Orlando Pulido
SAN IGNACIO TOWN, Cayo District, Wed. Mar. 6, 2024
Experts from across the Caribbean were in western Belize this week to discuss a collaborative effort in the veterinary field called One Health. A three-day conference of the Caribbean Veterinary Medical Association CbVMA began on Tuesday of this week at San Ignacio Resort Hotel. The occasion was its 33rd bi-annual conference.
This is the first time Belize is hosting the CbVMA. This movement toward South-South cooperation was founded in 1954 and plays a crucial role in advancing veterinary medicine in the Caribbean region. The association aims to advance the practice of veterinary medicine in the Caribbean by providing a forum for integration, communication, and continuing education. The Conference theme is as follows: One Health, One Caribbean, One Future; Veterinary Solutions Toward a Sustainable Tomorrow.
The main address on Tuesday was given by the Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise. Minister Mai told Amandala that the African Swine Fever is in the Dominican Republic, and that screwworm was making a comeback in the region.
“Veterinary doctors play a critical role in animal and food security in the region, so their conference today is of great importance as they will discuss the strategies and new technologies, emerging science and technology for [the] control of different diseases,” he said.
Minister Mai stressed that Belize is at this time working with partial scope agreements with Mexico and Guatemala, and initiating one with El Salvador.
“As such, then, we have to live up to what they expect of us. If we are to trade cattle with Mexico, and there are screw worms in Costa Rica, obviously, and there is the movement of cattle from Costa Rica and Nicaragua all the way down to Guatemala and Mexico, obviously our trading partners get nervous, especially if we are not doing our surveillance monitoring,” he continued.
The Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, also reminded that One Health should be the new nexus in the Caribbean. Minister Habet cited the U. S. Center for Diseases estimates, which state that 75% of diseases affecting humans are of animal origin. Minister Habet called on veterinarians to establish better communication between themselves, and to expand the public’s education on zoonosis.
Veterinary experts from Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, and other Caribbean countries attending the conference also believe in the One Health partnership. Dr. Ludwig Palacio, a Belizean veterinarian who is slated to take on the presidency of CbVMA by the end of the Conference, explained that the idea behind One Health is the recognition that, “We won’t have healthy people without healthy animals.” He stated that the role of veterinarians encompasses that of human medicine and other disciplines to ensure that both animals and humans are healthy. Dr. Palacio also said that if you own pets, do vaccinations; if you own livestock, do rabies prevention by doing the same.
Dr. Ludwig Palacio had a special message for young people.
“The current veterinarians are getting older, but we can be mentors and advisors. We need to be replaced. Young people, young scientists, biologists, and chemists, I want to encourage you to become part of the veterinary fraternity and become veterinarians to serve the community and make it better; that is my call to action for this country and also for the region and the world,” he said.
Dr. Janine Seetahal, Clinical Assistant Professor, Rabies Section Head, Kansas State University, gave a presentation on rabies at the conference on Tuesday. Dr. Seethal stated that in the Caribbean region we have vampire bats, mongoose, and dogs being reservoirs for the rabies virus.
To prevent the spillover of the virus from bats to humans, Dr. Seethal explained that “limiting the bats to human contact is the main way; [also] respecting bat habitats as well as responsible farming practices and responsible urban development; [and] just being more respectful of the environment and the habitat of wildlife.”
Dr. Seetahall attributed the decline of canine rabies in Latin America to the successful Pan American Health Organization programs. However, he said the increased interaction of humans with wildlife has led to a proportionate increase in the viral transmission of rabies.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, who was at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic in Belize, reminded us at the conference that for spillovers “this is not a question of if; it is when.”
Dr. Victor Gongora, the President of the Caribbean Medical Association said that parts of the conference will be spent to inform veterinarians how to take better care of themselves. Dr. Gongora said that this is needed, since veterinarians tend to overwork.
