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In the tough times of global pandemic, the role of veterinarians for protection of animal health and sustaining high levels of production has been very prominent. They have stood as pillars fighting the unforeseen circumstances and shielding even human and environmental health directly or indirectly. These were deliberations from various events held under the umbrella of World Veterinary Week from 19th to 24th April, 2021, celebrated at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana. World Veterinary Association, an International association representing around 5 lakh veterinarians around the globe, has decided to keep the theme of World Veterinary Day, which falls on last Saturday of April every year as ‘Veterinarian response to the Covid-19’.
Institutional Development Plan (IDP) Cell of GADVASU organized battery of events to orient students, farmers, stakeholders and general public about the efforts of veterinarians in combating COVID-19. In this context, an e-Poster and drawing/painting competition was arranged for students to paint their imaginations on canvas. Dr. B R Gulati, Principal Scientist, National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE), Hisar and Dr. G K Sharma, Scientist, Joint Directorate, CADRAD, ICAR-IVRI, Bareilly, shared their experiences and highlighted role of animals in the origin and transmission of SARS-COV-2. They further emphasised on productive responses of veterinarians in wake of this crisis. To transmit the know-how of impact of COVID-19 on animal production and health and its mitigation strategies, a series of radio talks in Punjabi language was arranged on key issues for easy understanding of farmers. A free anti-rabies and brucellosis testing camp was organised.
Dr. S.P.S Ghuman, Principal Investigator-IDP and Dean, College of Veterinary Science asserted that veterinarians have relentlessly contributed to the farming community even in the tough times and have contributed towards devising sustainable livestock systems to improve human health and economic status. Dr. Inderjeet Singh, Vice-Chancellor, GADVASU complemented the efforts of IDP cell for meticulously organizing world veterinary week in a comprehensive manner with number of activities. He appreciated that all the activities were planned taking into account government’s guidelines. He specifically mentioned key role played by GADVASU in COVID-19 diagnosis at Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in the University and promised whole-hearted support for fighting this menace.
