The City Veterinary Office and City Health Office in December’s convocation program promote “One Health,” to better understand and recognize the connection of the health between people and animals and its environment.

Invited guest speaker Dr. Janet D. Lopez, a veterinarian discussed the one health movement as a collaborative efforts among experts such as physicians, veterinarians, disease detectives and laboratorians working across humans, animals and environmental health.

She stressed that we are not only focusing the overall health of people but with animals as well because more than half of infectious diseases of humans are spread from animals also known as zoonotic diseases.

Among these diseases that can be shared between people and animals include rabies, salmonella and west nile virus.

Dr. Lopez also accentuated safe and responsible pet ownership to ensure health both people and pets, “by keeping pets healthy keeps people healthy too.”

Protecting our animals will preserve the future of the people through taking the one health approach, she added.

Controlling zoonotic pathogens at their animal source is the most effective and economic way of protecting people. One good example of this intervention is through administering rabies vaccinations to pets in which the City Government of Malaybalay has been very active in its program through the City Veterinary Office.

Each year around the world, it is estimated that zoonotic diseases cause 2.5 billion cases of sickness and 2.7 million deaths.

At least 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases including HIV, ebola and influenza virus have an animal origin.