What and how do we communicate?
The rapid, inexpensive transmission of words and data, brought about by the internet and cheap computers, is changing the world faster than anything mankind has ever experienced, reaching into nearly every aspect of our lives, public and private, commercial and governmental. We are in an Information Age with an essentially instantaneous availability of large volumes of information and data. Technological pressures have their own momentum. The changes and improvements in data handling and information sharing will take place, however much or little we do in veterinary medicine, whether at the international or national levels. In addition, there are new superpowers emerging in the world. These are the small and medium third world countries that are gradually gaining democracy through political restructuring and involving the civil society in decision making. There are also the marginal pressure groups, once too small and insignificant to be noticed. These are changing the rules by which the way the world is governed and they are doing it now by the internet and banding together to serve their common interests. The rapid provision of accurate information on animal diseases is desirable goal from a public health as well as an economic viewpoint.
Hugh-Jones
M
M
Department of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA. mehj@mail.vetmed.lsn.edu
D000820:Animal Diseases; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D003142:Communication; D019992:Databases as Topic; D020407:Internet