Dogs, Zoonoses and Public Health

16 Jan 13

 

A second edition of the book “Dogs, Zoonses and PublicHealth”, edited by Calum N.L. Macpherson, François-Xavier Meslin and Alexander I. Wandeler will be available in February 2013. It updates and expands the first edition (released in 2000), with 3 additional chapters.

The book focuses on the human – dog relationship, and itsimpact on human society and health. The number of dogs in the world is unknown,but is positively correlated with human population, and could be as high asone-tenth of the world human populations, with 700 million dogs.  Dogs are now an important part of our societyin every corner of the world, and cultural attitudes towards dogs differ greatly, according to their many and varied roles.

Dogs serve humans as pets and companions, as eyes and ears for those with disabilities, as herders of sheep and other livestock, as a method of transport across frozen landscapes, as support for hunters, and as law enforcement agents, sniffing out drugs. There is now growing evidence of the value of the human-dog bond in helping people to live healthier, happier lives.

However, dogs are also often seen as a nuisance, fouling public streets and parks, biting and harassing people, pets, livestock and wildlife,barking and scavenging from garbage sites and causing traffic accidents. They can also harbor zoonotic diseases,perhaps most notably rabies, but also other viral, bacterial, protozoan, and helminth pathogens that can infect humans.  A majority of the world’s dogs, particularly in parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, are or are regarded as strays, and appropriate solutions to these issues, adhering with international animal welfare principles, need to be found.

The book aims to a give a comprehensive account of the complex public health aspects of the relationship between humans and dogs.  As well as a chapter focusing on dogs and rabies, chapters on the Dog-human relationship, The Benefits of the Human-Dog Relationship, Dog associated problems, Dog Population Management, Zoonosis Prevention,Control and Elimination in Dogs and Fertility Control in Dogs would all be relevant to those interested in rabies control.

The book is available from CABIpublishers and other online retailers such as Amazon.