The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is renewing its support of FAO’s efforts to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and other emerging infectious diseases, the UN agency announced today. USAID’s commitment totals US$26.3 million for the period running from October 2011 to September 2012. The funds will support continuing FAO technical assistance … Continue reading
Category Archives: Epidemiology
ILRI to build climate model to predict disease outbreaks
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), has received a $4.4 million award for research to build a climate model that can predict outbreaks of infectious disease in Africa. ILRI will work with 11 partners and researchers to integrate data from climate modeling and disease … Continue reading
Infectious disease movement in a borderless world
Modern transportation allows people, animals, and plants–and the pathogens they carry–to travel more easily than ever before. The ease and speed of travel, tourism, and international trade connect once-remote areas with one another, eliminating many of the geographic and cultural barriers that once limited the spread of disease. Because of our global interconnectedness through transportation, … Continue reading
Globalization and one health: A gateway to the future?
On Tuesday March 17, at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) annual meeting in Kansas City, Mo., more than 250 livestock industry professionals gathered for NIAA’s theme of “One Health: Implications for Animal Agriculture.” One Health is a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines to obtain optimal health for people, animals and the environment. The … Continue reading
Governance of livestock diseases–interactions between epidemiology, politics, economics and law
Infectious disease of livestock remains an important problem, seriously damaging rural economies, producing social disruption and impairing public trust and confidence in government. It can result in animal suffering, and potentially affect the health of humans and wildlife. Livestock disease has generally been seen as a scientific, public health or epidemiological problem, and it has … Continue reading
Participatory epidemiology training course kicks off in Togo
This week, the Participatory Epidemiology Network for Animal and Public Health (PENAPH) holds a 5-day training course for trainers in Participatory Epidemiology, in Lomé, Togo. The 11 participants were selected from the 29 Participatory Disease Surveillance (PDS) practitioners trained in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo as part of the Early Detection Reporting Surveillance … Continue reading
Livestock trade is culprit in sleeping sickness spread
Scientists baffled by the continued spread of sleeping sickness through Uganda have discovered that it is livestock markets that are driving the disease. A team from Uganda and the United Kingdom analysed the incidence of the serious Rhodesian form of sleeping sickness, which is carried by cattle, in two newly affected districts. They confirmed that … Continue reading
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