Animal Diseases / Asia / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Livestock / Southeast Asia / Zoonotic Diseases

South-East Asia still pandemic hotspot, says study

The next global pandemic is likely to arise in South-East Asia where factors ranging from weak surveillance to the increasing proximity of humans and animals continue to make it vulnerable to emerging infectious diseases, according to experts. The region’s population has soared in the last decade and, together with an increase in livestock production, particularly … 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

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

‘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 / 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

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

Animal Diseases / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Livestock / Zoonotic Diseases

USAID creates online mapping tool to track animal diseases

A new online mapping tool will enable scientists and the public to track outbreaks of animal diseases that might jump to humans. The tool, known as Predict, will be at http://www.healthmap.org/predict. Created with a grant from the United States Agency for International Development, it is being produced by experts on human and animal diseases from … Continue reading

Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Emerging Diseases / Wildlife / Zoonotic Diseases

Changes in wildlife migration could alter disease risk–Science

Christine Ottery reports in SciDevNet last week (24 January 2011) on a review published in the scientific journal Science (21 January 2011) saying that the risk of animals passing diseases to humans could increase in some areas and decrease in others as people encroach on and disrupt wildlife migration paths. ‘. . . Although there … Continue reading

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

Washington State University to construct global animal health research facilities

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

USAID’s PREDICT project, part of the Emerging Pandemic Threats program, seeks to proactively identify disease-causing organisms in wildlife before they spread to humans. Local capacity is being established and enhanced in global geographic hotspots which have high potential for disease transmission among animals and humans. Currently, about 24 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia … Continue reading

Animal Diseases / Animal Health / Asia / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Knowledge and Information / Livestock / South Asia / Sri Lanka / Zoonotic Diseases

Mobile-phone–based surveillance of infectious disease in Sri Lanka

With infectious zoonotic diseases emerging in animals in low- and middle-income countries, surveillance of animal health in these nations is becoming increasingly important for forecasting disease risks to people. A new paper describes a mobile-phone-based surveillance system for animal populations that has been developed and implemented in Sri Lanka. Using this system, field veterinarians reported … Continue reading

Agriculture / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Environment / Ethiopia / Farming Systems

Ethiopia: New Wheat Variety to Deal With Wheat-Killer Diseases

Gadab Assassa — Like most farmers in Ethiopia, Jundi Hajji expected that the profit from his wheat harvest would be sufficient to feed his family of eight until next year’s harvest. But, following a yellow wheat rust epidemic across the country and on his farm, he is concerned how his family will survive if the … Continue reading