Vetnews | Julie 2024 16 « BACK TO CONTENTS Events I WVAC 2024 By 2019 and based on several grants, five interlinked research areas were identified: avian influenza (with subsequent testing for other diseases), environmental toxic compounds (associated with marine effluent discharge), population monitoring (through use of apps and drones), statistical modelling and stakeholder engagement. Three epidemiological zones were identified for the survey and over the next three years, almost 900 penguins were tested for HPAI, and samples were collected for biobanking. Tissues or carcases from 25 penguins were tested for multiple toxic compounds, while significant progress was made with the remaining projects. Such a wide-ranging programme was only possible due to the explicit One Health nature of the programme. It permitted diverse ideas, encouraged dialogue, and ensured all aspects of the human-animal-ecosystem health triad were addressed. In this presentation, we discuss the benefits and challenges of such an approach, particularly given the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns, and appraise the lessons learnt for future projects. Role, frustrations, and success stories of South African private veterinarians Drienie D. (Didi) Claassen Afrivet Technical and Training Services, Pretoria, South Africa. National Rabies Advisory Group, Pretoria, South Africa South Africa (RSA) has medical, veterinary, and allied health professionals working in private and public sectors. The public sector governs the control of animal and human rabies as it is a notifiable disease with fatal human health consequences if cases are not properly reported and controlled. RSA legislation and supporting rabies guidelines provide the steps to be followed in suspected rabies cases. The public sector is the custodians of the relevant legislation; however, the private sector must follow this legislation and ideally support the public sector where resources are not always, and in some regions never, available. This lack of resources for rabies control is particularly felt in the veterinary sector. Some of the challenges faced by private veterinary practices in rabies control include but are not limited to (1) Limited and varying availability of state veterinary services, (2) difficulty in sending diagnostic samples to laboratories, (3) insufficient knowledge on how to handle suspect rabies cases, (4) vaccination resistance from pet owners, (5) incorrect information and/or support provided to clients and staff who are referred to medical facilities for postexposure prophylaxis treatment. Due to these frustrations faced by the private veterinary sector, numerous initiatives to advance towards #Zeroby30 are being taken. For example, the South African Veterinary Association Community Veterinary Clinics are holding vaccination campaigns across RSA, sending funded vaccination teams into outbreak areas, and are now starting a private veterinarian-driven education programme in schools. Private practices provide rabies vaccinations either at no cost or at a reduced rate, particularly during World Rabies Month. The current situation in South Africa highlights the importance of One Health and cross-sector collaboration in reaching the goal of #Zeroby30. Down-the-drain pathways for fipronil and imidacloprid applied as spot-on parasiticides to dogs - estimating aquatic pollution Rosemary Perkins University of Sussex Fipronil and imidacloprid have been widely detected in UK surface waters in recent years, often at concentrations that ecotoxicological studies have shown can harm aquatic life. Down-the-drain (DTD) passage of pet flea and tick treatments is being implicated as an important source, with many of the UK’s 22 million cats and dogs receiving routine, year-round preventative doses containing these parasiticides. The UK Water Industry’s 3rd Chemical Investigation Programme (UKWIR CIP3) has confirmed wastewater as a major entry pathway for these chemicals into surface waters, but the routes by which they enter the wastewater system remain unclear. We addressed this knowledge gap by conducting the first quantification of DTD emissions from 98 dogs treated with spot-on ectoparasiticides containing fipronil or imidacloprid, through bathing, bed washing and washing of owners’ hands. Both chemicals were detected in 100% of washoff samples, with bathing accounting for the largest emissions per event (up to 16.8% of applied imidacloprid and 24.5% of applied fipronil). Modelled to account for the frequency of emitting activities, owner handwashing was identified as the largest source of DTD emissions from the population overall, with handwash emissions occurring for at least 28 days following product application and an estimated 4.9% of imidacloprid and 3.1% of fipronil applied in dog spot-ons passing down-the-drain via this route. The normalised daily per capita emissions for all routes combined were 8.7 µg/person/day for imidacloprid and 2.1 µg/ person/day for fipronil, equivalent to 20-40% of the daily per capita load in wastewater, as estimated from UKWIR CIP3 data. Within the current international regulatory framework adhered to by the UK, the environmental exposure of veterinary medicines intended for use in small companion animals is assumed to be low, and DTD pathways are not considered. We recommend a systematic review of regulations and practices to address this overlooked pollution pathway. v High time we talk about cannabis in veterinary medicine: a series of discussions Erika L Venter-Van Zyl Private, Cape Town, South Africa A growing body of Pet owners are looking at Veterinarians for empathetically sound scientific counselling to use cannabis as a therapeutic modality. The ever-growing Cannabis industry is already blooming, and the pet market is flooded with Cannabis containing products but, as of yet, there are no registered veterinary products in South Africa. Veterinary “Cannabinology”, the study into the Endocannabinoid system (ECS) and Cannabinoids’ influence on the ECS is still in its infancy. There is no bodily system that is not influenced by the ECS and its homeostatic role modulates and regulates physiological and pathological conditions encompassing analgesia, immune functioning, stress response, sleep, appetite
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTc5MDU=