In this week’s PLoS Medicine, Jonna Mazet (University of California, Davis) and colleagues describe their work in the Tanzania-based HALI Project, which adopts the ‘One Health’ approach to address emerging zoonoses, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. There is a strong need for integrated health approaches, the authors argue, because explosive human … Continue reading
Category Archives: Animal Diseases
Why Britain faces a bleak future of food shortages
Britain faces a ‘perfect storm’ of water shortage and lack of food, says the government’s chief scientist, and climate change and crop and animal diseases will add to future woes. Science is now striving to find solutions. The farmers of tomorrow will not only have to improve yields using less fertiliser, they will also have … Continue reading
Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Goats / Pests / Research / Sheep / Small Ruminants / Vaccines
Vaccine success sees Moredun head to market
It may have a somewhat exotic name but the Barber Pole worm was this week called a “nasty blood-sucking piece of work” by the scientist charged with finding a way to eliminating it. The work of Dr David Smith and his team at the Moredun Research Institute could make a dramatic difference for sheep and … Continue reading
World faces epidemiological transition: Emerging and re-emerging animal diseases a growing problem for public health
The number of animal diseases affecting humans is set to escalate as the world undergoes a new epidemiological transition, say researchers this month in BioScience. Experts say that “dramatic” changes to the environment have sparked lasting alterations to human disease patterns. “We appear to be undergoing a distinct change in global disease ecology,” write Montira … Continue reading
New initiative to prevent ‘next global pandemic’: DFID targets hotspots for spread of animal-to-human diseases
On 11 December, the Department for International Development (DFID) brought together vets, virologists, academics and other experts in animal-to-human diseases in order to identify hotspots where the next global pandemic is most likely to come from and how best to prevent it emerging or spreading. Read more … (DFID) Continue reading
Deadly cattle plague, once the bane of farmers, on its deathbed
Sometime soon, rinderpest will officially be declared extinct, marking the first time mankind has ever eradicated an animal disease In animal health circles, it’s the equivalent of the Apollo 11 moon landing: some time in the next 18 months, FAO jointly with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and other partners will officially declare one … Continue reading
Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / East Africa / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / Uganda
Animal health: Building on local knowledge
Raising livestock in remote, environmentally harsh areas such as Karamoja in northern Uganda is difficult, not least because there are few animal health services. Recently, however, several NGOs have begun helping communities identify and treat livestock diseases. Pius Sawa speaks to some of those involved. Read (and listen) … (AGFAX) Continue reading
Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Cattle / East Africa / ECF / ILRI / Livestock / Tanzania / Vaccines
Group works to expand supply of cattle vaccine in Africa
Each year a million cows in Africa die from East Coast fever. The disease is spread by tick bites. Young cows are most at risk; they can die within days. Farmers and herders can lose up to half or more of their calves to East Coast fever. The disease is widespread in eleven countries. And … Continue reading
Agriculture / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Capacity Strengthening / Diagnostics / Epidemiology / Livestock
Distance learning courses on animal health and production from the LIDC
In October this year, an online database of more than 140 distance learning courses about international development, featuring courses from the RVC, was launched by Distance Learning for Development (DL4D). The postgraduate courses, including Principles of Livestock Production, Globalisation and Health, Planning for Education and Development, Climate Change and Development, and Understanding Poverty are primarily … Continue reading
Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Cattle / East Africa / ECF / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / Tanzania
Using mobile phones to monitor cattle disease
In October, the London International Development Centre (LIDC) organised a workshop to discuss the ‘Impact of Mobile Phones Upon Development and Health’. Three speakers spoke on the use of mobile phones and animal health in Africa: Andrew Hagner (Royal Veterinary College) explained how he and his Undergraduate Research Team used mobile devices to record the … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 