Abstract
Simple SummaryMany remote Australian Aboriginal communities face barriers in accessing animal health care for their pets. A community that faces these barriers implemented a community-driven program with the objective of improving animal health and population management. The program was evaluated by comparing the percentage of animals desexed, the body and hair condition of dogs, and the presentations at the health clinic for dog bites before versus after 12 months of program implementation. Results show improved animal health measures and no measurable change in human presentations for dog bites. This program, with One Health considerations, could be suitable for other communities facing similar animal health care barriers.This study evaluated a community-driven animal health and management program in the remote community of Wadeye, Northern Territory. This evaluation used a pre-post design to assess changes in animal and human health outcomes over a 12-month period of program implementation, from June 2018 to June 2019. The evaluation assessed the program by comparing animal health outcomes before versus one year after program implementation and comparing human health outcomes before versus during the first 12 months of the program. Outcome measures included the desexing status of dogs and cats, body condition and hair score of dogs, and rates of people presenting to the health clinic for a dog bite. Animal health outcomes significantly improved after program implementation. From pre to post program, there was a 77% increase in the prevalence of good body condition score among dogs and a 9% increase in the prevalence of good hair score among dogs, and the prevalence of desexed dogs and cats more than doubled. There was no significant change in the number of people presenting to the health clinic for a dog bite. Consideration on how to further incorporate human and environmental health aspects into the program could be useful for future One Health programs.
Highlights
The World Health Organization estimates that 61% of all human pathogens are zoonotic and 75% of emerging diseases affecting people in the lastAnimals 2020, 10, 1790; doi:10.3390/ani10101790 www.mdpi.com/journal/animalsAnimals 2020, 10, 1790 decade have originated from animals [1]
Wadeye is a large remote community; as this program focuses on maintaining animal population control and improving animal health, this program may be suitable for communities with smaller animal populations
This study showed the positive effects on animal health observed over the initial 12 months of a community-driven and One Health approach to animal health and management in a remote community
Summary
The World Health Organization estimates that 61% of all human pathogens are zoonotic (can be transmitted between animals and people) and 75% of emerging diseases affecting people in the lastAnimals 2020, 10, 1790; doi:10.3390/ani10101790 www.mdpi.com/journal/animalsAnimals 2020, 10, 1790 decade have originated from animals [1]. The implementation and longevity of effective animal health programs in the North of Australia can mitigate overpopulation and improve the health of animals This is pertinent in rural and remote Aboriginal communities. People living in rural and remote areas of Australia are more likely to experience greater health concerns and poorer access to health services compared to urban communities [5,6], and this encompasses access to animal health care [7] Due to this barrier, the poor health of dogs and cats kept as pets can affect human health, where animals and humans live closely together. They can affect the environment and native wildlife populations through predation, disturbances, and disease transmission [9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
