Category Archives: Animal Diseases

A4NH / Africa / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / ASF / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Livestock / Research / Southern Africa / Zoonotic Diseases

Animal health and emerging diseases a focus for CIRAD in East and Southern Africa

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The Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) is a French research center working with developing countries to tackle international agricultural and development issues. It’s recently updated site on it work in East and Southern Africa introduces CIRAD’s activities in the region. ‘Animal health and emerging diseases’ is one of the … Continue reading →

A4NH / Africa / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / Asia / Capacity Strengthening / Emerging Diseases / Human Health / Livestock / South Asia / Southeast Asia / West Africa / Zoonotic Diseases

Strengthening laboratory capacity in response to emerging pandemic threats: FAO, OIE and WHO working together

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Early detection of zoonotic pathogens emerging in wild and domestic animal populations before they become a threat to human health is a priority for the public health and animal health sectors. An effective and credible laboratory service is an essential component of such early detection systems. As part of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) … Continue reading →

A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / Article / Food Safety / Trade / Zoonotic Diseases

Standard-setting organizations for safe livestock trade need to evolve and collaborate more closely to meet new challenges

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A new paper by by GK Bruckner, of South Africa, Ensuring safe international trade: how are the roles and responsibilities evolving and what will the situation be in ten years’ time?, outlines the changing and evolving roles and responsibilities in ensuring safe international trade in animals and animal products. Bruckner’s abstract follows. ‘The roles of the … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / ASF / Disease Control / ILRI / India / Pigs / South Asia / Vaccines

ILRI finalizing action plan to curb classical swine fever in India’s northeast

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A pig on a farm in Nikhekhu Village, Dimapur, Nagaland, India (photo credit: ILRI/Mann). ‘The Nairobi-headquartered International Livestock Research Institute is undertaking a comprehensive study on the mortality of pigs in [India’s] Northeast because of classical swine fever and will suggest effective mechanisms for its prevention and control. ‘The study will focus on Assam, Nagaland … Continue reading →

Animal Breeding / Animal Diseases / Cattle / East Africa / Film and video / Genetics / ILRI / Indigenous Breeds / Kenya / Sheep / Small Ruminants

Australian TV program highlights research in race against time to save Africa’s ‘hairless sheep’ and other native breeds

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Worm-resistant red Masai sheep, an indigenous ‘hairless’ sheep kept by Maasai herders, in Kenya (photo credit: ILRI). Catalyst, the Australian Broadcasting Company’s well-regarded science television program, yesterday (14 Jul 2011) broadcast an episode on research being conducted in Kenya to conserve the native livestock of Africa. Okeyo Mwai, an animal geneticist working at the International … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Diagnostics / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Livestock / USA / Zoonotic Diseases

Next generation animal disease screening tools identified by FAZD Center

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The US National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense> (FAZD Center) just released the report from its second Agricultural Screening Tools Workshop, entitled: ‘Enhancing Ag Resiliency: The Agricultural Industry Perspective of Utilizing Agricultural Screening Tools’. This joins the report of the first Agricultural Screening Tools Workshop: ‘Defining the Needs and Requirements for Agricultural … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Buffalo / Cattle / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Livestock / Wildlife

FAO hosts meeting on buffalo and livestock diseases in Africa

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In June 2011, the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD) hosted a meeting on buffalo in Africa. Presentations from the meeting are online, and include: Mapping African buffalo distributions, in relation to livestock disease risk Ecology and social organization of forest buffalo Spatiotemporal dynamics of forage and water resources shape space use … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Disease Control / Epidemiology / Ethiopia / Event / ILRI

Tufts vets standing proud

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Tiny plastic cow figures (image on Flickr by Zoomar). The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University is standing proud this week. Three of their graduates helped eradicate only the second disease ever eradicated from earth. ‘Three Tufts University researchers were praised by the international community for their help in eradicating rinderpest, a disease … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Cattle / Diagnostics / Disease Control / Epidemiology / Ethiopia / Event / Film and video / ILRI / Vaccines

It’s official! FAO declares rinderpest vanquished

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Cow bell from Kenya, on loan from Gary K Clarke, Cowabunga Safaris (photo by Topeka & Shawness County Public Library on Flickr). This week, as the New York Times reports below, the United Nations officially declared that, for only the second time in history, a disease has been wiped off the face of the earth. The … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Article / Biotechnology / Cattle / Disease Control / Film and video / Genetics / ILRI / Zoonotic Diseases

Livestock genes identified to unlock protection from animal plagues

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West Africa’s ancient (humpless) N’Dama cattle (white) are genetically resistant to the disease trypanosomosis while East Africa’s Improved Boran (humped) cattle are susceptible to this tsetse-transmitted disease (photo credit ILRI/Elsworth). Xinhuanet, the Chinese Xinhua News Agency online service, reports on an international research team that used a new combination of approaches to find two genes … Continue reading →