Safety and Health at Work

Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (산업안전보건연구원)
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Veterinarians as a Risk Group for Zoonoses: Exposure, Knowledge and Protective Practices in Finland

  • Kinnunen, Paula M. (Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki) ;
  • Matomaki, Alisa (Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki) ;
  • Verkola, Marie (Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki) ;
  • Heikinheimo, Annamari (Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki) ;
  • Vapalahti, Olli (Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki) ;
  • Kallio-kokko, Hannimari (HUS Diagnostic Center, HUSLAB, Clinical Microbiology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital) ;
  • Virtala, Anna-Maija (Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki) ;
  • Jokelainen, Pikka (Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki)
  • Received : 2021.02.08
  • Accepted : 2021.10.26
  • Published : 2022.03.30
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Abstract

Background: Veterinarians may encounter a variety of zoonotic pathogens in their work. Methods: We conducted two cross-sectional questionnaire studies among veterinarians in Finland. Participants were recruited during two Annual Veterinary Congresses. In 2009, 306 veterinarians participated in an extensive questionnaire study, and in 2016, 262 veterinarians participated in a more focused study that included two same questions. Results: In 2009, the majority (90.9%) of the participating veterinarians reported having been occupationally exposed to zoonotic pathogens. Zoonotic infections (15.0%), needle stick incidents (78.8%), bites (85.0%), as well as infected skin lesions (24.2%) were reported. In 2009, 8.2% of the participants fully agreed with the statement "I have good knowledge of zoonoses and their prevention"; in 2016, the proportion was 10.3%. The reported use of protective practices and personal protective equipment in connection with specific veterinary procedures indicated that there was room for improvement, particularly in protection from pathogens that are transmissible via inhalation and mucous membranes. Conclusion: The results confirm that veterinarians are commonly occupationally exposed to zoonotic pathogens. Education should aim to improve and maintain the knowledge of zoonoses and their prevention. Use of protective practices should be advocated.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

We warmly thank all the participants. In addition, we are grateful to Kristian Lindqvist for generous help with the web-based questionnaire, Juliette Wipf for practical help, and Anne-Marika Siponen for support with the data analyses. This work was supported by the Finnish Work Environment Fund [grant numbers 109346 and 116105], the Orion-Farmos Research Foundation, the Foundation for Research on Viral Diseases, Fennovet Ltd, and the Thesis Workshop of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki. PJ is Project Leader of TOXOSOURCES, which is supported by funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No 773830: One Health European Joint Programme. The funders were not involved in any part of preparing, conducting, writing, and submitting the manuscript.

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