One health, one earth, one life: The overlooked role of veterinarians in the fight against COVID-19 and other public health emergencies in Italy

This essay explores the crucial and often overlooked role of veterinarians in managing and responding to pandemics. Despite their pivotal activities in protecting public health, veterinarians in Italy were largely absent from the media storytelling of the COVID19 pandemic, which was mostly focused on a hospital-centered perspective. Regretfully, we witness herein the occurrence of a similar situation within the media coverage in Italy of other public health emergencies, such as those caused by the highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus and by the West Nile virus. This article examines the asymmetry in professional representation during public health crises in Italy, thereby calling for a more inclusive approach to global health challenges, employing a One Health framework that acknowledges the connection between human, animal and environmental health. Within this framework, we also report how veterinarians contribute to food safety, zoonotic disease monitoring, epidemiological studies and ecosystem management, all of which are essential for pandemic prevention and response. Our goal in bringing these issues to light is to increase public awareness on the crucial role of veterinarians in public health risk analysis, communication and policy formulation, which will ultimately make society more resilient to potential pandemic threats in the future.