World Veterinary Day 2012 targets antimicrobial resistance

News provided by

American Veterinary Medical Association

Apr 27, 2012, 11:51 ET

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) joins veterinarians around the world to recognize World Veterinary Day 2012—celebrated on April 28th—with the focus this year on antimicrobial resistance.

"As the only medical profession that impacts public health and animal health in their daily practice, our role in preventing the development and transmission of antimicrobial resistance is paramount in protecting both human and animal health," says Dr. Rene Carlson, President of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Antimicrobial medicines revolutionized the practice of medicine in humans and animals when they were introduced over 60 years ago, and today they are essential to the practice of medicine. The loss of efficacy in antimicrobial treatments through the development of resistance creates risk for public health and animal health.

"This is why one of the key messages for World Veterinary Day is that antimicrobial use in animals should have veterinary oversight," Dr. Carlson says.

World Veterinary Day was started in 2000 by the World Veterinary Association to recognize the important work that veterinarians do all around the globe.

For more information, please visit www.avma.org, or visit the World Veterinary Day website at http://www.worldvet.org/node/9399.

The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 82,500 member veterinarians worldwide engaged in a wide variety of professional activities.

SOURCE American Veterinary Medical Association