In 2023, there were around 89.3 million cattle and calves and 74.1 million hogs and pigs in the United States. Due to this high number and the close proximity of humans working with animals, the danger of zoonotic diseases transmitting to humans remains a risk. Animal health is a primary concern among veterinarians, doctors, and public health experts around the world as the health of animals is closely connected to that of humans. This approach of interconnectedness between human health, animal health, and environmental health is known as One Health and has gained popularity in recent years. It aims to combine multiple health authorities in environmental, animal, and human health sectors to combat the spread of communicable diseases between and among species. The world was recently reminded of this interconnectedness and the danger of diseases spreading from animals to humans as this was the likely origin of SARS-CoV-2 which resulted in the
.
Equine infectious anemia
Some common illnesses transmitted between species include swine flu (H1N1), salmonella, and
rabies, to name a few. Other diseases are known to just affect animals only. Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is one such virus. EIA affects equids such as horses and donkeys and causes high fever, anemia and weakness. Long-term effects of the disease can result in sudden death and chronic fatigue. At this time, there have been no reported cases of equine infectious anemia in humans and the risk to human health is low. However, the impact to a herd of horses can be devastating as it requires lifelong quarantine of infected horses, should they survive. Over time the
number of cases of equine infectious anemia have reduced in the United States.
The animal health market
There currently exists a stable and growing market to effectively deal with and respond to animal health threats. In 2021, it was estimated that the
animal health industry in the United States directly generated 13.8 billion U.S. dollars in output, provided over 24 thousand jobs, and paid over 1.6 billion U.S. dollars in wages. Some of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the animal health industry include Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Merck.
Zoetis is the world's largest animal health company and it develops, markets, and sells products related to eight species of companion and food animals. Although their products are currently available globally
the United States remains their largest regional market. Among animal species that Zoetis develops products for,
companion animals are now their largest sector. The animal health market will likely grow in the future with awareness of the interconnectedness of animal and human health and the dangers of zoonotic diseases. The health of the animals that humans surround themselves with is crucial as diseases that spread between species can have a devasting impact on human health and society as the world witnessed in 2020.
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