Page 458 - The Veterinary Laboratory and Field Manual 3rd Edition

Epidemiology 395

service delivery. On the one hand, the highly
intensive dairy seen in Figure 9.1 would require a
fully trained and experienced veterinarian, while
the lower-input/low-output systems illustrated
in Figures 9.2 and 9.3 might be satisfied by a
less well qualified veterinary paraprofessional
service provider working under the supervision
of a qualified veterinarian.
Semi-commercial or smallholder mixed live-
stock/crop producers would sometimes require
the presence of a veterinarian, but many simple Figure 9.2 North western Ethiopia – mixed farming
veterinary interventions can also be provided by system using horses to plough arable land.
a suitably trained veterinary paraprofessional,
working under the supervision of a qualified
veterinarian. At the other extreme, the nomadic
or transhumant management systems, seen
in parts of Africa and Asia, which rely almost
exclusively on access to low-quality and remote
grasslands, are low input and, on a per capita
basis, low output. Such livestock production
systems are often remote from state veterinar-
ians and livestock keepers are less able to afford
a professional level of animal health service. In
such extensive production systems, it may be Figure 9.3 Northern Kenya, Samburu pastoralists,
more appropriate to deploy veterinary parapro- extensive herding of cattle, sheep and goats.
fessionals trained to perform a defined range
of veterinary interventions, who would also be
required to be supervised, albeit remotely, by a the same time can contribute towards build-
qualified veterinarian. ing a robust animal disease early warning and
In many parts of the world, even where there response network. Whatever the circumstances
are smallholder mixed livestock/crop produc- and whether paraprofessional service providers
tion systems, the state veterinary authorities are operate privately or are employed by the state,
unable to afford to deploy sufficient numbers of it is important that the range of interventions to
state veterinarians to reach all farming commu- be performed by the various different cadres of
nities, and owing to the relatively low demand veterinary paraprofessional are well defined and
for animal health services, private veterinar- that such service providers always work under
ians are unable to make a living commensurate the direct or indirect, supervision of a quali-
with their level of education, social standing fied veterinarian, in order to ensure correct use
or earnings expectations. In all such systems, of anti-microbials and other medicines and to
the deployment of various cadres of veterinary maintain good standards of practice.
paraprofessionals (see Figures 9.4 and 9.5), The methods used for the selection and
whose educational level and earnings expecta- training of veterinary paraprofessionals should
tions are lower, can help to mitigate the lack of be given careful consideration. The most impor-
access to primary animal health services and at tant underlying principles which should be

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