The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Veterinary Association (WVA) are uniting to encourage countries to prioritise Covid-19 vaccination access for vets.
They said vets serve the health community by working at the animal-human interface.
As a result, both organisation have said, vets need priority access to vaccination services in order to pursue their work which is central to safeguarding public health.
Collaboration between animal and human health
According to the OIE and the WVA, the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the international community to reconsider how health professionals can address disease emergencies in a more coordinated way.
In a statement, the organisations said: “As human health systems throughout the world have strained under ongoing pressure, veterinarians have been offering their skills and expertise to help fight against the pandemic.
“By researching the origins of Covid-19, and conducting passive surveillance of animals, particularly those highly susceptible to [Covid-19] (such as mink and other mustelids), veterinarians have also contributed to the world’s understanding of this complex virus.”
During this time, the two groups say that veterinarians have strived to ensure the health and welfare of animals, as well as public health.
They add that this multi-faceted profession has played a key role in guaranteeing the continued safety of food production chains, sufficient access to food and the security of traded animals and animal products worldwide since the start of the crisis.
Despite this, the OIE and WVA said that veterinarians have been excluded from access to priority vaccinations in some countries.
Call for priority vaccination for vets
The OIE and the WVA have called on countries to include veterinarians as priority professionals for Covid-19 vaccination within their national strategies, and vaccination campaigns.
By doing so, countries ensure that their food production chains are maintained, as veterinarians are critical personnel to ensure safe animal production and food safety, according to the organisations.