How Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks Affect Veterinary Practice: A One Health Perspective

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s estimated that six out of every 10 known infectious diseases and three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in humans come from animals. For veterinarians, this means the first line of defense against zoonotic disease transmission is educating animal owners about current prevention strategies and the importance of monitoring animal health.

What Are Zoonotic Diseases and How Do They Impact Veterinary Practice?

Zoonotic diseases, also called zoonoses, are illnesses passed from animals to humans through viruses, bacteria, parasites, or fungi. They can typically by transmitted through:

• Direct contact with bodily fluids from infected animals via bites or scratches
• Indirect contact with areas or objects contaminated by the infected animal
• Bites from insects who previously bit infected animals
• Consumption of undercooked meat or products (like eggs) from an infected food animal  
• Consumption of products contaminated by the feces or bodily fluids of infected animals (like raw milk or raw fruits and vegetables)
• Consumption or direct contact with water contaminated by the feces of infected animals

In some instances, such as the spread of salmonella, the difference between exposure and infection can boil down to improper hygiene and ignoring food safety standards. Salmonella can be spread from ingesting contaminated food and drink, eating undercooked food, and eating or drinking with unwashed hands after having contact with infected surfaces and animals. The risk of contracting salmonella grows even higher when people live in areas without clean drinking water and proper sewage disposal.

However, hygiene alone isn’t enough to prevent the spread of all zoonotic diseases. Rabies, for example, is contracted by being bitten or scratched by an infected animal, while anthrax can lay dormant in the soil. Its spores can infect people through inhalation, injection, ingestion, or seeping into an open wound. Because zoonotic diseases can be transferred in so many different ways, they’re a core focus of the One Health approach, which acknowledges that human health is closely intertwined with the environment and animal health.  

What Role Do Veterinarians Play in Preventing Zoonotic Diseases?

Because of a veterinarian’s close contact with companion and livestock animals, they stand at the front line of disease monitoring and prevention. They are typically the ones who identify unusual patterns of illness in animals that could be an indicator of emerging zoonotic threats. For example, identifying clusters of respiratory illness in poultry could indicate the spread of bird flu, while repeated cases of widespread weight loss or an increased number of unhealthy calves being born may be an indicator of bovine brucellosis.  

Once identified, veterinarians report their findings to local or state health departments, and, when necessary, federal agencies like the CDC or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Veterinarians can also put safety protocols in place to contain the spread, maintain the health of healthy animals who were exposed to the threat, and find treatments that cure the sick animals.  

While preventive measures are key to minimize the risks of zoonotic threats spreading, proper sanitation, waste management, and animal handling protocols are equally as important.

The One Health framework allows veterinarians, physicians, epidemiologists, and environmental scientists to track and contain outbreaks on a broader scale. This kind of collaboration is especially important when outbreaks like H5N1 begin to mutate and spread to different species and environments. No single professional would be able to accurately track changing zoonotic patterns in their entirety because they would focus only on one area.

• Veterinarians are animal health experts. Yes, they can identify patterns early in their area, but they would be missing the much bigger picture of how these diseases could be transmitted to humans.
• Epidemiologists are experts at identifying the pattern, cause, and effects of diseases across populations. They strive to minimize the risks of outbreaks, track diseases once they spread, and create intervention strategies to treat and prevent the spread in the future. However, they lack an understanding of different ecosystems.
• Environmental scientists study how pollution can impact the environment, what these changes could mean for human health, and what measures can be taken to limit our impact on various ecosystems like the ocean and forest. Although their efforts can lead to safer conditions for animals and humans alike, they’re not experts in human health.
• Physicians can monitor the health of those exposed to infected animal populations. They can identify how the symptoms appear in humans and work with veterinarians, epidemiologists, and environmental scientists to coordinate testing and treatment options for those infected.

In fact, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Organisaton for Animal Health (WOAH), and the World Health Organization (WHO) came together to stress the importance of One Health by developing the One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2026). Incorporating One Health principles into Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) programs can better prepare future veterinarians to see the bigger picture of how their efforts can improve public health in its entirety.  

At Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine’s (Ross Vet) One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropic Infectious Diseases, students can collaborate with human, animal, and environmental partners. They can focus on learning how a variety of infectious diseases affect human and animal health. Students can also participate in One Health-related research projects during their studies that allow them to learn from leaders in their field.

How Can Veterinary Practices Prepare for Zoonotic Disease Management?

In 2018, the American Animal Hospital Association released a list of infection control guidelines aimed to limit pathogen exposure and quickly detect new pathogens. When used with an infection control, prevention, and biosecurity (ICPB) plan, veterinary practices can identify which safety protocols are working and what needs improvement. This could include creating training plans for personnel, collecting or creating education materials, and creating checklists for basic sanitation and scenarios evolving infectious disease exposure.

Recent CDC veterinary safety and hazard prevention guidelines have also clarified a hierarchy of controls that can keep workers and patients safe.

Preventive Measures and Best Practices

1. Educate the public on the importance of preventive measures.

   This can be done on an individual basis and through public awareness campaigns. By ensuring animals are vaccinated in a timely manner, we can mitigate the risks of them contracting certain harmful conditions and increase their body’s immunity so they have a higher chance of surviving should they contract them. This is also a great chance for veterinarians to monitor the current health of the animal and intervene early enough for the patient to have a positive outcome.

   Another added benefit of vaccinations is being able to protect workers or pet owners who may have been unknowingly exposed to a zoonotic disease. Telling the public what symptoms to look out for and what they can do to lower the risks of the disease spreading—such as routine parasite control, maintaining hygienic living environments, and using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safe disinfectants—can help contain the outbreak since it teaches people what they should do, when, and why.

   Public health isn’t only the responsibility of those working in the medical space. All of us must play a part in creating a safer, healthier planet.

2. Create disease-specific protocols.

   Aside from regularly sterilizing surfaces, it can be helpful to create disease-specific protocols to ensure your team follows the proper steps when diagnosing, treating, or managing different diseases. This ensures patients suffering from similar ailments or conditions receive the proper care. It also gives your team the structure needed to act confidently and quickly in urgent cases where every second matters.

3. Have a readily accessible list of reporting hierarchies.

   Having a clear reporting model can make it easier to know who you need to contact in such events. Your list can contain the numbers of local and state health departments, the CDC, or the USDA, should you need to escalate your findings to a public health agency.

4. Regularly update and practice protocols.

   Regularly updating safety protocols ensures your team is consistently providing the highest quality care. Practice different protocols often to ensure your team will be prepared to act swiftly and with the latest best practices in mind.

5. Communicate with clients early.

   Prepare a quick list of FAQ related to that specific zoonotic risk, what to expect should exposure occur, and next steps on how to minimize transmission to others.

   By formalizing protocols, contacts, and reporting pathways, your veterinary practice will be better prepared to quickly identify and contain threats.

How Does One Health Approach Address Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks?

Over the last few years, we’ve seen veterinarians shift from animal-only clinicians to an integrated part of One Health. They assisted the USDA with its SARS-CoV-2 testing in 2020 and helped identify the first few detections of H5N1 in dairy cattle in March 2024. With the first ever National One Health Framework to Address Zoonotic Diseases and Advance Public Health Preparedness in the United States being established by the USDA, we’re now seeing even more emphasis being placed on the importance of One Health.

Consistent collaboration between veterinarians, public health officials, physicians, and environmental experts forms a vital safety net that improves surveillance, clarifies next steps, and keeps communities safe and healthy.

Prepare for a Future in One Health With Ross Vet

What impacts different animal species can eventually impact human health. Gaining a One Health perspective before graduation better equips future veterinarians to become part of a collaborative effort to create a healthier, safer society. Ross Vet’s dual degree and certificate One Health options allow students a more interdisciplinary approach to veterinary medicine.

Ready to begin your future in One Health? Submit your application today or reach out for more information.

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