Perspectives on veterinary public health, food security, and the "One Health" joint initiative/Perspectivas sobre salud pública veterinaria, seguridad alimentaria y la iniciativa conjunta "Una Salud"

Veterinarians play a key role in food security. The health of millions of people, stimulation of national economies, development of sustainable livestock production related to this food source, and the different agricultural production systems that compose value chains, and access to more profitable international markets all depend on their efficient and transparent work. Shifting nutritional patterns globally, along with expected population growth, and the increase in marketable food commodity routes and volumes, forecast that demand for animal source food will steadily intensify over the coming decades. To successfully address these challenges, the veterinary profession should establish more practical and up-to-date conceptual and methodological frameworks for academic and professional profiles, focusing the profession on the different public health subject areas, in undergraduate and graduate courses. Furthermore, interdisciplinary alliances should also be developed--such as the "One Health" approach proposed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the World Health Organization (WHO)--to establish frameworks for joint work and public policies more in line with the domestic conditions of Latin American countries, using a collaborative, sustainable, and comprehensive approach to animal health, food security, and public health policy. Key words: veterinary public health; food security; food hygiene. Los medicos veterinarios juegan un papel fundamental en la seguridad alimentaria. De su accionar eficiente y transparente depende la salud de millones de personas, la dinamizacion de las economias de los paises, el desarrollo de una actividad pecuaria sustentable en torno los alimentos de este origen y los distintos sistemas agroproductivos que componen las cadenas de valor; y el acceso a mercados internacionales mas rentables. Durante las proximas decadas, el cambio en los patrones nutricionales a nivel global, el aumento poblacional esperado, junto con el incremento de las rutas y los volumenes comercializables de bienes alimenticios, hacen prever que la demanda de alimentos de origen animal se intensificara de forma constante. Para poder enfrentar con exito estos retos, la profesion veterinaria debera establecer marcos conceptuales y metodologicos de los perfiles academicos y profesionales mas practicos y actualizados, enfocando la profesion hacia los distintos campos tematicos que co