Close the gaps between agriculture, health and nutrition–Indian Prime Minister

Posted on 12 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

During the inaugural session of an international conference in New Delhi that is closing today, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for greater investments to close the gaps in knowledge of how agriculture, nutrition and health are linked. The conference is organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute. The CGIAR in Action blog reports … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Asia / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / Latin America / Zoonotic Diseases

Growing number of farm animals spawn new diseases

Posted on 11 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

From Hong Kong comes this report from MSNBC about research conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘A growing number of livestock, such as cows and pigs, are fuelling new animal epidemics worldwide and posing more severe problems in developing countries as it threatens their food security, according to a report released on Friday. … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Asia / Directorate / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Latin America / Zoonotic Diseases

ILRI warns of health dangers of global livestock boom

Posted on 11 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

‘The livestock boom could increase the number of animal plagues while further compromising food security. ‘The Deputy Director General of research at the International Livestock Research Institute – ILRI John McDermott said increasing the numbers of domestic livestock through resource-intensive production methods is increasing animal epidemics around the world. ‘McDermott says the problem is more … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Animal Production / Botswana / Disease Control / Livestock / Southern Africa / Vaccines

Botswana’s cattle industry: an uncertain future despite vaccine breakthrough

Posted on 10 Feb 2011 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

One chief facet of the country’s domestic agriculture industry remains cattle raising (though agriculture and livestock production account for between only 2-4% of GDP, while employing approximately 25% of the country’s labor force) and the export of beef to international markets such as the European Union (EU) and South Africa, although production has admittedly sagged … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Asia / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / ILRI / India / South Asia / Zoonotic Diseases

Of plagues and livestock–The Economist reports on ILRI research at the animal-human interface

Posted on 10 Feb 2011 by Susan MacMillan • Leave a comment

A pig scavenges for food in trash outside a poor household in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India (photo credit: ILRI/Mann). The Economist today (10 February 2011) reports on news from the International Livestock Research Institute, being discussed this week at an international conference on agriculture, nutrition and health in New Delhi, India, of the critical need … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Disease Control / East Africa / ILRI / Kenya / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / RVF / Tanzania

Traditional knowledge key to managing Rift Valley fever

Posted on 16 Dec 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

By assessing key risk factors and symptoms, such as an increase in rainfall and high abortion rates, Somali and Maasai herders accurately predicted the outbreak of Rift Valley fever in 2006/07 long before veterinary and public health interventions began, researchers have discovered. “Timely outbreak response requires effective early warning and surveillance systems,” say authors of … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Cattle / Disease Control / Livestock / Vaccines

USDA scientists discover how foot-and-mouth disease virus begins infection in cattle

Posted on 14 Dec 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have identified the primary site where the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) begins infection in cattle. This discovery could lead to development of new vaccines to control and potentially eradicate FMD, a highly contagious and sometimes fatal viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals that is considered the most economically … Continue reading →

Africa / Animal Diseases / Disease Control / Livestock

Researchers make progress toward finding a new cure for nagana-infected livestock

Posted on 13 Dec 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

In Zulu, “nagana” means “depressed in spirits.” To many poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, however, nagana is more than just an emotion—it’s a disease that plagues their livestock, exacerbating poverty and hunger in the region. But researchers in Belgium may soon have something to raise the temperaments of African farmers: a drug aimed at curing … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Research / USA / Zoonotic Diseases

Washington State University to construct global animal health research facilities

Posted on 10 Dec 2010 by Peter Ballantyne (ILRI) • Leave a comment

An American billionaire who built his fortune as co-founder of software giant Microsoft has given a university $26 million to find ways of improving Africa’s ability to respond to animal-borne diseases. Paul G. Allen, an investor and philanthropist, has made the largest gift to Washington State University in the school’s history — $26 million to … Continue reading →

Animal Diseases / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Zoonotic Diseases

USAID PREDICT Programme releases a new forecasting framework for disease emergence