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ANIMALS and HUMAN HEALTH ~ I ~ ~It-· ~I· I W ~, , 'L!;:~ RLD the MAGAZINE of the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HEALTH

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ANIMALS and HUMAN HEALTH ~ I ~ ~It-· ~I· I W ~, , 'L!;:~ RLD the MAGAZINE of the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HEALTH ANIMALS AND HUMAN HEALTH ~ I ~ ~it-· ~I· I W ~, , 'l!;:~ RLD THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HEALTH Cover: WCC/ P. Williams © In this issue New Director·Generol takes over at WHO 3 Zaonoses - diseases passed from animals to humans 4 David L. Heymann Animals that infect humans Fron ro is·Xovier Meslin & Kious Stohr Rift Valley fever Roy Arthur &Mike Ryon New variant Creutzfeldt· Jakob disease 8 Mortin Zeidler & Doniel Hohn Canine rabies in Thailand 10 Henry Wilde &Chonorong Mitmoonpitok Use of antimicrobials in food animals 12 Kious Stohr & Fronrois·Xovier Meslin page 6 Brucellosis: a widespread public health problem 14 Ottorino Cosivi &Aristorhos Seimenis Brucellosis in the Americas 16 Primo Arambulo Influenza - preparing for a 21 st century pandemic 17 Improving the health of nomadic people - the example of cystic hydatid disease 18 (alum N. L. Macpherson When does a pet become a health hazard? 20 Marcelo de Menezes Brondoo & Morilio Anselmo Viano do Silva Berzins Zoonoses and the immune system 22 Ashley Robinson Diseases transmitted by pets 24 Bruno B. Chomel Dogs and Aboriginal health in Australia 26 Bart Currie Keeping foods of animal origin safe 28 Fritz K. Ktiferstein & Fronrois·Xovier Meslin Animal·to·man transplants 30 Clora J. Witt & Fronrois·Xovier Meslin WHO Publications 31 World Health • Slst Year, No. 4 World Health is the official illuslTated magazine of the World Heolth © World Health Organization 1998 July-August 1998 Organization. It ap pears six times a year in English, French and Spanish, and All rights reserved. Articles and photographs that are not subject ta separate four times a year in Arabic and Farsi. The Arabic edition is available from copyrig ht may be reproduced far na1Karnmercial purposes, provided that IX ISSN 0043-8502 WHO's Reg ional Office far the Eastern Mediterranean, P.O. Bax l 517, WHO's copyright is duly acknowledged. Signed articles do not necessarily Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor, World Heal th Magazine, Alexandria 215 l l, Egypt The Far~ edition is obtainable from the reflect WHO 's views. The designations employed and the presentation of World Health Organization, CH·l 21l Geneva 27, Switzerland, or directly to Public Health Committee, Iran Un iv ersity Press, 85 Park Avenue, Teheran material published in World Health do not imply the expression of any opinion authors, whose add resses ore given at the end of each article. l 5875·47 48, Islamic Republic of Iran. whatsoever an the part of the Organization concerning the legal status of any countTy, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. World Health • SlstYeor, No . 4, July-August 1998 3 New Director-General takes over at WHO I refer to tobacco. I am a doctor. I For the first time, WHO is believe in science and evidence. Let me state here today: tobacco is a headed by a woman. Aged killer." The new Director-General plans 59, married, a mother of four to increase the number of women and grandmother of seven, employed by WHO. Among her other declared intentions for WHO Dr Gro Harlem Brundtlond are: to help to monitor, roll back and took office as Director-General where possible eradicate communi­ cable di seases; to fight to reduce the of the Organization on burden of noncommunicable dis­ eases; to help countries to build 21 July 1998. sustainable health systems; and to speak out for health and back the case for health actions with solid Conference on Environment and evidence. Development (UNCED) - held in The outgoing Director-General, Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Dr Hiroshi Nakajima, appointed in In her speech of acceptance after 1988 and who served two terms of taking the oath of office at the World office, offered his good wishes to Dr Gro Hor/em Brundtland, the newly elected fifth Oirector-Generol of WHO. Health Assembly on 13 May 1998, Dr Brundtland during the Assembly, Photo WHO/ H Anenden Dr Brundtland referred to the com­ and said: "Her gifts, her experience plex processes of transition with and her convictions will be of im­ which WHO must cope, and com­ mense value to her and to WHO in mented: "The transition from one the fulfilment of her task. I know century to another sees changes that the Organization will be in good r Gro Harlem Brundtland's which will be faster and more dra­ hands." nomination to the post of matic from an economic, social and On her first day in office, Dr DDirector-General of the World health perspective." She warned the Brundtland addressed WHO staff, Health Organization (WHO) was delegates: "WHO can and must representatives of the UN mi ssions in confirmed by the Member States change. It must become more effec­ Geneva and the media. She outlined during the Slst World Health tive, more accountable, more trans­ WHO's future policy and presented Assembly which met in Geneva in parent and more receptive to a the new senior management team, May, and she began her five-year changing world." including nine executive directors term of office on 21 July. The burden of di sease is the from around the world - five women A medical doctor and Master of burden of unfulfilled human devel­ and four men, most of whom have Public Health, Dr Brundtland held opment, she went on, and announced been called upon to serve WHO for public office in Norway for 20 years, among the first projects to be tackled the first time. including ten years as Prime by WHO a drive to "Roll Back The new Director-General ex­ Minister. In 1983, the then Malaria" by developing a new pressed her "great expectation and Secretary-General of the United health-sector-wide approach to excitement" and her belief in the Nations invited her to establish and combat the disease at global, regional immense potential of WHO. She chair the World Commission on and country levels. Her second said: "We can make a difference. Environment and Development; that emphasis will be "to address a major We can build healthy communities Commission's findings were pub­ cause of premature death which is and populations. We can combat lished in 1987 in the form of a book dramatically increasing, killing four ill-health. We can do our part to entitled Our common future. Its million people this year and - if we combat poverty and suffering. recommendations subsequently led let it go on without action - ten Nothing in life - as I see it - has to the Earth Summit - the UN million people in the year 2030 .... more meaning." • 4 World Health • 51 st Year, No. 4, July-August 1998 Zoonoses - diseases passed from animals to humans David L. Heymann any of the human diseases that are emerging and re­ Memerging at the close of the 20th century are caused by pathogens originating from an animal or from products of animal origin. A wide variety of animal species, both do­ mesticated and wild, act as reservoirs for these pathogens, which may be viruses, bacteria or parasites. Quite apart from their direct impact on human health through the sickness and death that they cause, these zoonoses can have dramatic eco­ nomic consequences, especially for people who depend on livestock for survival. Zoonotic diseases can rapidly cause extensive human suffering and During the recent outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Kenya, mosquitos were trapped and then studied death. For example, a recent out­ in order to determine which species were responsible for the transmission of the disease. break of Rift VaJley fever in Kenya Photo WHO/ R. Arthur caused tens of thousands of human cases and hundreds of deaths; this real challenge to public health. The control antimicrobial resistance. virus is transmitted to humans alteration of our environment and WHO's task in this increasingly through mosquito bites and direct the establishment of human settle­ important area of public health is to contact with infected animals, mainly ments in formerly uninhabited areas, strengthen the capacity of countries cattle and sheep (see p.7). Other particularly in the tropics, are two and the international community to zoonotic diseases can spread invisi­ further factors that favour the emer­ prevent such dangers from develop­ bly, at least at the outset. New vari­ gence of diseases whose agents may ing, and to minimize their impact on ant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have remained for centuries in public health. To do this, the (nvCJD), for instance, almost cer­ nature. To these are added the ever­ Organization works with its partners tainly caused by the bovine spongi­ greater demand for animal protein within a global framework to reshape form encephalopathy (BSE) agent, foods, the acceleration of interna­ and strengthen the network for com­ has an unknown average incubation tional trade, and the increasing municable disease surveillance and period; estimates vary from 10 to number of people who are poten­ control. The aim is to detect and over 20 years. nvCJD causes rapid tially more susceptible to oppor­ contain the spread of viral, bacterial and fatal brain degeneration when it tunistic infection by agents of animal and zoonotic diseases where and appears, but it is not yet known how origin. Further problems stem from when they occur. many human beings were infected the use of antimicrobial substances This iss ue of World Health looks before appropriate control measures in food animals, including their use more closely at some of the problems were taken. It could be very few, but as growth-promoters. Therapeutic involved and the ways in which they it could be thousands, or more (see use of antibiotics in animals, as in can be solved.
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