The Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida was officially dedicated Tuesday, with deans from eight colleges manning the scissors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Within the 80,000-square-foot building, researchers are already at work, preparing for battle against the next wave of infectious diseases that could plague our times. The new facility draws faculty from … Continue reading
Category Archives: Emerging Diseases
Under emerging zoonotic diseases, we work on bird flu and other emerging diseases in developing countries, understanding and mapping the risks associated with these.
The livestock challenge
A recent issue of the magazine ‘Rural 21’ is dedicated to livestock and development. Articles include: The livestock challenge Livestock and the MDGs (ILRI paper) Making livestock policy pro-poor Livestock and climate change (ILRI paper) One World, One Health? The role of livestock in African agriculture Continue reading
Independent examines diseases that jump from animals to humans
The Independent examines the expansion of human diseases that originated in animals. “At least 45 diseases that have passed from animals to humans have been reported to U.N. agencies in the last two decades, with the number expected to escalate in the coming years,” the Independent writes. Read more … (Medical News) Continue reading
Animal Diseases / Australia / Diagnostics / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Knowledge and Information / Livestock
Animal disease knowledge repository for Australia
The Australian Biosecurity Intelligence Network (ABIN) has approved the setting up of a repository of animal disease information to augment use of the Virtual Microscopy Laboratory Network used by veterinary pathologists. Participants using the repository will be able to: access, share and add to information in knowledge repositories for disease reference material, standards for testing, … Continue reading
Further spread of Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda likely due to livestock movements
The northwards spread of human Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda is likely due to the movement of infected livestock, according to new findings from an interdisciplinary research group including members from the Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh; the Ministry of Health, Uganda; and the Universities of Oxford and Southampton. The current study, published … Continue reading
A ‘one health’ approach to addressing emerging zoonoses: The HALI project in Tanzania
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
USA makes big push to prevent global pandemic
Recognizing the threat to animal and human health, the federal government has launched a multimillion-dollar initiative in the hopes of preventing the next global pandemic. The U.S. Agency for International Development announced Oct. 22 the start of its Emerging Pandemic Threats program, a five-pronged approach to preparing the world for emerging infectious diseases. It builds … 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
ILRI Clippings 