Avian influenza, known as bird flu, is caused by influenza type A viruses, primarily adapted to bird species, including domesticated and poultry. It continues to spread in the EU and beyond, causing high mortality in wild birds, spread to wild and domestic mammals and outbreaks on farms. In addition, cases have recently been detected for the first time in dairy cows, which currently makes it one of the most worrying pathogens for the poultry sector.
With the aim of exploring this and other topics related to veterinary news, Veterinary Diary has interviewed in his new installment of the Podcast Clara Marin Orengaelected a few months ago vice president of the World Poultry Veterinary Association.
She is also a professor of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases of Birds at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the CEU Cardenal Herrera, principal investigator of the Research Group “Improving food safety in the productive system and its derived products: from the farm to the fork”, Graduate of the European College of Poultry Veterinary Sciences (ECPVS) and has been coordinator of the Education Committee of this College, where the greatest European specialists in this area of knowledge are trained.
Marín confesses that the avian flu situation is a “disturbing” scenario, but remembers the fundamental role of veterinarians in the management of this disease. “We cannot predict what will happen, We can only work so that this does not happen”, highlighting the importance of biosecurity, active and passive surveillance, and cleaning and disinfection. Likewise, he has highlighted the importance of explain to political managers the “whys” of the need to promote surveillance of this pathogen.
Veterinary Diary Podcasts · Clara Marín: Veterinarians “are doctors of preventive medicine. “We have armored farms”
“WE HAVE ARMORED FARMS”
The expert has highlighted the importance of the veterinary profession since “we work on prevention. Specifically, referring to her field, she emphasizes that “we are preventive medicine doctors,” “we work with very large animal populations and we cannot afford to have a disease enter.” Thus, “we have armored farms”.
On the other hand, we have asked him about his new projects in the field of research, such as the use of bacteriophages in poultry farming, or the importance of the “One Health” concept in the veterinary sector, and specifically in poultry farming. “Veterinarians work with animals that are going to be food for society, and we have to take care of the environment.”
Outside the purely medical field, Marín, from her role as a teacher, has commented on the concerns and vocations that her students have in matters of poultry health, and celebrates that “In all promotions, leading students in poultry farming have emerged.”.
Regarding veterinary specialties, he commented that they have to be regulated, but “we cannot go crazy either.” He has also spoken about the figure of the Resident Internal Veterinarian, or the perception of veterinarians by society, celebrating that in the poultry sector “I don’t feel like I’m undervalued.”.
Finally, he spoke about the importance of mental health care among veterinary students and professionals, and takes the opportunity to urge all of them to “remember every day that we have a beautiful job”.
You can listen to the full podcast on different platforms: Spotify, Apple, iVoox and SoundCloud.
