Incomplete knowledge and uncertainty

The International Federation for Animal Health Europe (IFAH-Europe) has published the results of a survey on the topic of animal health and the use of veterinary medicines with pets and livestock. 6 000 people in all in six EU states (Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Great Britain and Germany) were questioned about their knowledge and opinion of this topic.
The results of the survey show clearly that consumers are concerned generally about the use of veterinary medicines, but at the same time know little about the subject. Knowledge regarding the links between animal health and human health is also very limited, according to IFAH-Europe.
47 per cent of the respondents did not know or did not believe that veterinary medicines have a positive effect on the well-being of pets. On the whole, there appeared to be a greater readiness to accept measures promoting the health of pets than for farm animals. More than 40 per cent of the respondents were not aware that the transmission of certain diseases from pets to humans could be prevented if the animals were vaccinated. Consumers generally seemed most favourably disposed to veterinary medical measures that could prevent diseases, IFAH-Europe reported.