VETERINARIANS of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) of Negros Occidental have gained boost at the recent 86th Scientific Conference and Annual Convention held at Iloilo Convention Center in Iloilo City.
The three-day event, from February 20 to 22, was organized by the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA).
The group of participating veterinarians from the province were headed by Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena.
Themed “Quality Animal Care for a Quality Life,” this year's activity is aimed at enhancing the knowledge of veterinary practitioners on new techniques about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of different animal diseases.
The convention also provided updates on emerging and re-emerging animal diseases including African Swine fever that could cause significant impact to the livestock and poultry industry.
PVO said one of the major concerns faced by professionals in the field of veterinary is the development of antimicrobial resistance.
This is due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics in food animals where standard treatments become ineffective, infection persists, and creates the possibility of spreading, it said.
Thus, the PVMA aims to develop measures to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance and strengthen the implementation of policies on responsible use of antibiotics in the veterinary practice.
The convention also included sessions on optimizing laboratory test for more accurate disease diagnosis and the use of acupuncture techniques for analgesia.
Strategies to control avian influenza and Newcastle disease outbreaks and the recent trends in the different fields of veterinary practice such as small animals, equine and swine were also presented during the conference.