VETS7008 Hazards to Human and Animal Health

3

Online

Core

1

The Hazards to Human and Animal Health unit of study will cover the following topics:

• food borne hazards (chemical and microbial);
• zoonoses;
• notifiable and exotic diseases in Australia;
• global livestock diseases;
• disease control programs.

After completing Hazards to Human and Animal Health, students will be able to:

• describe the key elements of risk assessment and the concepts of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) intervention;
• list sources of chemical contamination of food of animal origin and describe how to detect, monitor and prevent these;
• explain how the national residue survey works;
• discuss the microbial hazards in food of animal origin and the means by which they affect humans, and identify critical control points;
• summarise key points of the current antibiotic resistance debate concerning the implications for public health of antibiotic use in animals;
• describe critical aspects of important zoonotic diseases acquired by humans by ingestion of animal products and other routes of exposure and identify possible means of prevention;
• analyse the factors that influence the emergence of new diseases and discuss changes that need to be implemented in animal and human health surveillance;
• list the notifiable animal diseases (endemic and emergency) in Australia and discuss the rationale and process for notification and control;
• describe global trends in livestock disease distribution - both in time and space;
• describe the disease control programs for a range of current animal diseases and discuss their health, welfare and political ramifications.

You should have a working knowledge of animal husbandry practices and drug use in veterinary practice, a basic understanding of the principles of veterinary epidemiology and zoonoses and a general knowledge of the major endemic diseases of production animals in your country and the important terrestrial exotic (emergency) diseases of production animals in your country. An assumed knowledge quiz is available in the online class. You should undertake this quiz to make sure you have the assumed knowledge and skills to successfully undertake this unit. Your answers to this quiz will also help the facilitator to assess the general entry-level skills and knowledge of the class.

Assessment in the Hazards to Human and Animal Health unit of study will include:

• participation in online class (15%);
• an individual report (45%);
• a group assignment (40%).

• No prescribed text
  
  

• Mr Stephen Page
• Dr Robert Dixon