Page 50 - RealDirtENG2020

What is “One Health”?
Many of the same microbes that make animals sick can also infect humans. The World Health Organization and other organizations around the world have embraced
the “One Health” approach, by which experts in animal, plant, and human health work together to prevent disease outbreaks and food safety problems113.
DID YOU KNOW?
Keeping our food safe, and our animals and
plants healthy, are why you are asked about contact with farms and farm animals when you come back to Canada from another country.
Here are some livestock and poultry diseases of interest:
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The Real Dirt on Farming
When animal and human health meet
New diseases are always emerging in animals and in people. The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest and most high-pro le example of the impact a new disease can have on health and on the economy—and why it’s important to be prepared.
That’s why public health agencies and groups specializing in animal disease surveillance are always watching for and tracking new outbreaks. Canada’s food system has invested millions of dollars into disease research, prevention, and emergency preparedness, so that Canadians have the safest food and healthiest livestock possible.
1. In uenza
Commonly called the u, in uenza makes many Canadians sick every year. Birds and pigs can also get the u—you may have heard or read about “bird u” or “swine u”, but you can’t catch either of these from eating pork, eggs, chicken or turkey.
2. African Swine Fever
African Swine Fever is a devastating disease that affects pigs, but there is no human health or food safety risk as it doesn’t infect humans. There is currently no cure or vaccine for this virus, which kills virtually all the animals that become infected. China has been suffering from a major outbreak since 2018, but the disease is present in African, European, and other Asian countries as well. To date, it has never been found in North America, but since Canada is a major world producer of pork, the industry is working hard to keep the disease out.
3. Food-borne illnesses
Human and animal digestive systems are home to billions of bacteria, including some that can cause severe illness or even death if people consume contaminated food or water. Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes are the three most common causes of food-borne illness. Canada’s food producers and processors use many different tools to keep food free from pathogens that cause food-borne illness. Consumers have a role to play too: cooking meats to proper temperatures; washing produce thoroughly; and washing hands regularly before handling food, after using the washroom, or after petting animals.