One Health News

“One Health in Action” pearl from a Veterinarian who teaches in a U. S. Medical School

An article in The Scientist.com  http://www.the-scientist.com/2010/7/1/22/1/  entitled ‘Litter bug’ presents some interesting stories about the transmission of the protozoan disease toxoplasmosis caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.  It occurs worldwide in mammals and birds and is a common infection in humans.

The true ‘stories’ are always more complex than the media ones; it's always an interesting classroom session when I explain to 2nd-yr. medical students that humans are much more likely to become infected with 'toxo' [toxoplasmosis] from eating undercooked pork, lamb, or beef than they are from handling the litter boxes of house cats, especially if those cats are fed commercial cat food.

Since the advent of HIV, case-control studies have shown no causal association[s] between the opportunistic clinical toxoplasmosis suffered by many AIDS patients and their ownership of domestic cats.

When I explain how easily feed grains in bins and silos can be 'infested' w/mice, rats, and feral cat feces and that, sometimes, those feces & mummified mice end up in the feed mill ... you can almost see the light bulb 'turn on' above the students' heads; most of them have no rural or agricultural experiences and never thought about the pathway that red meat actually takes to the supermarket.  Sadly, even today (esp. after the popular press releases of the mid-'70s), most 'human school' microbiology faculty still over-emphasize the toxoplasmosis/cat feces "link", but not the importance of meat hygiene, i.e. cooking meat thoroughly.  Having said that, I also tell the students that immunocompromised humans, and especially pregnant women, should be counseled to only eat meat that has been thoroughly cooked, and always practice adequate hand washing following taking care of any of the family's pet animals.   

Provided by Dr. Ronald Warner:

Ronald D. Warner, DVM, MPVM, PhD
Professor
Director, TravelMed Clinic
Director, Preventive Medicine Division

Coordinator, Comm. Med./Public Hlth Residency Rotation
Dept of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine
Texas Tech Univ. Health Sciences Center
3601 4th Street
Lubbock, TX 79430-8143 (USA)
e-mail: ronald.warner@ttuhsc.edu  
voice: (806) 743-1100, ext 261
fax: (806) 743-1292

1st International One Health Congress - REMINDER

 Human Health, Animal Health, the Environment and Global Survival

Call for Abstracts Now Open …

Melbourne Convention Centre

Victoria, Australia

February 14 -16, 2011

 See Website for More information

http://www.onehealth2011.com/

 Welcome to the 1st International One Health Congress!

For the last few years, the One Health concept has brought together experts working in the areas of animal and human disease. One Health has provided a new synthesis for veterinary and public health communities, particularly in the United States of America, Europe and Australia.

However, there is an urgent need and a growing interest to broaden the agenda to incorporate a truly global perspective and to consider environmental issues.

This 1st International One Health Congress will achieve these goals by focusing clearly on the risks and challenges brought about by the interactions between animal and human health and the environment.  It will consider these in the general context of the science and research being undertaken, but critically it will focus on the outcomes that need to be achieved to effectively manage the growing risks to global health.

The Congress aims to make recommendations on policy and organisational changes using the underlying science to inform and drive the process.  For the first time, it is envisaged that a global consideration of interrelated issues of animal and human health and the relationship with the environment can take the science to the policy maker and thus drive real and profound change. We see this as setting a pathway that in 10 -15 years will result in a seamless approach to infectious disease management  with both the  resources and those with the skills and knowledge intimately linked with the focus clearly on delivering outcomes in a fully united way.

Selected recently as the most livable city in the world, Melbourne is renowned as a global sports capital. Melbourne and the surrounding area offers everyone something in which to delight. So our invitation goes beyond the science and thought and extends to enjoying all that Australia has to offer as a unique global venue for such meetings. We look forward to sharing this with you in February 2011.

“One Health” Session Schedule Announced for North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC), in Orlando, Florida (USA) Monday, January 17,  2011

It was recently announced that The North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) www.navc.com would present a new session in 2011 which focuses on the important and timely topic of One Health. The One Health initiative is a movement dedicated to improving the health of all species- both human and animal- through the collaborative integration of human health care, veterinary medicine and other scientific health disciplines. This initiative encompasses a diverse collaboration of health care professionals working at multiple levels of government, research institutions of higher learning (e.g. medical, veterinary medical and public health schools), and in private practicing physicians and veterinarians offices (clinics and hospitals), all striving to improve human, environmental, and animal health. 

Discussions by the speaker participants at this session are expected to discuss the important work being done by health care professionals at the global, national, state, county, and local levels.  It will concentrate on activities by physicians and veterinarians in North America who work in private practice(s), caring for patients and companion animals, respectively, in local communities.

Noted speakers and topics to be presented will include:

Donald F. Smith, DVM, DACVS

Professor of Surgery and Austin O. Hooey Dean, Emeritus

Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.  14853 (USA)

Title: Our Veterinary Legacy: One Health

Paul P. Calle, VMD, Dipl. ACZM

Director, Zoological Health, Global Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society

185^th St. and 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York 10460 (USA)

www.wcs.org

Title: One World One Health – A Field Veterinary Perspective

Kirsten Gilardi, DVM, Dipl. ACZM
Assistant Director, Marine Programs
Wildlife Health Center
One Shields Avenue
University of California
Davis, California 95616

Title: One Health In Action: Preventing the Spread of Disease from people to Animals.  (Dr. Gilardi’s talk will focus on the USAID PREDICT project.)

Florina S. Tseng, DVM
Assistant Professor
Director, Wildlife Clinic
Department of Environmental and Population Health
Wildlife Medicine,

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University

200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536

Title: One Health: A Unique Approach for Human and Animal Health Monitoring.

Kate Hodgson, DVM, MHSc, CCMEP

Medical Education Consultant

Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development

Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto’

1 Kings College Circle
Toronto, ON M5S1A8, Canada

Title: One Health- Evidence of the Health Benefits of Companion Animals to Human Health.

Dr. Hodgson will look at the importance of integrating companion animal health and disease to human health with an emphasis on how this affects the private practicing veterinarian and the family physician.

Note: NAVC is primarily geared for presenting educational materials for private practice veterinarians.  A One Health booth was graciously provided by the NAVC at the 2009 conference.  The booth was serviced pro bono by representatives from the Florida State Department of Health, the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the One Health Initiative website team.

For more information, please contact Dr. Hayley Murphy:

Hayley Murphy, DVM

Director of Veterinary Services

Zoo Atlanta

800 Cherokee Ave., SE

Atlanta, GA 30315

(P) 404-624-5801

(F) 404-624-5959

hmurphy@zooatlanta.org

Veterinary Advisor: Baboon and Gorilla SSP

United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS)

Washington, D.C.  20250        

July 8, 2010

Subject:   Notice on Vacancies on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods     

We are working to recruit new members for the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF).  The Committee provides scientific advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services concerning the development of microbiological criteria by which the safety and wholesomeness of food can be assessed. 

We are seeking members with scientific expertise in the fields of epidemiology, food technology, microbiology (food, clinical, and predictive), toxicology, chemistry, risk assessment, infectious disease, biostatistics, and other related sciences. Please see the attached Federal Register Notice for additional details on this Committee and how to apply.

 Please share this notice with others who may have an interest.    If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Frame/FrameRedirect.asp?main=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/2010-0001.htm .

Thank you,

Gerri M. Ransom
Director, Executive Secretariat
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods
USDA-FSIS, Office of Public Health Science
Room 354 Aerospace (Mail Drop Room 333)

Phone: 202-690-6600
Fax: 202-690-6364
E-mail: gerri.ransom@fsis.usda.gov

Karen Thomas-Sharp

Advisory Committee Specialist

USDA,FSIS, OPHS

Room 333, Aerospace Center

1400 Independence Ave., SW

Washington, DC  20250-3700

Phone:  202-690-6620

Fax:    202-690-6634

Email:  karen.thomas-sharp@fsis.usda.gov

“One Health in Action” - Veterinarian Earns Professor Promotion at School of Medicine in Lubbock, Texas (USA)

Ronald D. Warner, DVM, MPVM, PhD and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM) with a specialty in epidemiology was promoted to Professor at Texas Tech University's School of Medicine (TTUHSC) - Lubbock, TX (USA), effective February 26, 2010.  Dr. Warner has been on the TTUHSC Department of Family and Community Medicine faculty since August of 1994, following his U.S. Air Force career.  His primary responsibilities will continue to be: teaching medical and graduate students, as well as medical residents; epidemiology research; and directing the Texas Tech Physicians' Travel Medicine Clinic.

Dr. Warner has been and is a noted One Health supporter and advocate.

Wellcome Trust & Wolfson Foundation Funds Establishment of ‘Laboratory of Comparative & Veterinary Virology’ at new Centre for Virus Research at University of Glasgow, Scotland (UK)

Prof. Massimo Palmarini, DVM, PhD, Director of the Medical Research Centre, University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research notified the One Health Initiative website team today (July 5, 2010)—please see letter posted on Publications page—that Wellcome Trust & Wolfson Foundation has provided funds, £4.8 million, for the establishment of a ‘Laboratory of Comparative & Veterinary Virology’ within the new Centre for Virus Research at University of Glasgow, Scotland (UK). 

Dr. Palmarini is a longtime One Health supporter and has collaborated with members of the One Health Initiative website for nearly four years.  The One Health Initiative team was honored to provide a letter of support that was included in the application for this grant.  Dr. Palmarini will assume directorship of the Centre on August 1, 2010. 

The One Health Initiative team congratulates Dr. Palmarini and his associates and extends our best wishes for success!

NOTICE (July 5, 2010):

 The One Health Initiative Website Welcomes …

 Worldwide One Health Submissions for Posting on:

·                         One Health News page

·                         Publications page

·                         Upcoming Events page

Comments and suggestions also appreciated...

 Please send to kkm@onehealthinitiative.com c/o Contents Manager

Bottom line of One Health Implementation:

“Untold millions of lives will be protected and/or saved in our generation and those to come!”

Praecipio International Team Endorses One Health

 In a June 30, 2010 message to the One Health Initiative website team, *physician director and co-founder of Praecipio International             

http://praecipiointernational.org/ and http://praecipiointernational.org/?page_id=852, James M. Wilson V, MD endorsed One Health and wrote:

“One Health has the full support of our team at Praecipio and an open offer to its entire community for access to The Praedico social network (it's free).  The Praedico is where we share analytic insight and experience, share live event information, and (most importantly) get to know each other socially as an online community of interest.  It's free with no commercial interests.  We stood it up to enable deeper conversation to occur among those not necessarily comfortable with attribution.  It was created two days ago, the result of many social experiments using other social networking platforms such as Google groups and LinkedIn.  We have found Ning to work simply enough and encourage everyone in One Health to join.”  

 “Praecipio International is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to providing information on disruption caused by infectious disease events in order to promote well-informed social and economic decisions.  Praecipio International works to enhance and improve international public health and security against biological threats by stimulating collaboration within and offering education to the international, multi-disciplinary humanitarian community.  Praecipio International created the first comprehensive, operational infectious disease forecasting and early warning center in the world, the Haiti Epidemic Advisory System (HEAS).  Praecipio's team members provided warning of unusual respiratory disease in Mexico in April 2009 to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, which was later recognized to be the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.”

 Please see *Dr. Wilson’s biography at http://praecipiointernational.org/?page_id=22

Brazilian Virologist Responsible for the Isolation of Dengue fever (“breakbone fever”) Virus Dies

Dr. Hermann Gonçalves Schatzmayr (1936 – June 21, 2010), was a Brazilian veterinarian, virologist and researcher of Austrian descent. He was 75 and was the head of the Department of Virology at the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC / Fiocruz) in Rio de Janeiro for 30 years.  Dr. Schatzmayr was also the president of the institution from 1990-1992 and one of the most important virologists in Brazil.  He was responsible for the isolation of dengue virus types 1, 2 and 3 in Brazil and participated in the eradication of polio and smallpox there. He was also a member of international committees of the World Health Organization (WHO) and belonged to the WHO group that monitors and evaluates research projects in progress with live smallpox virus. 

Provided by:

John (Jack) Woodall, MA, PhD, Director (retd.)
Nucleus for the Investigation of Emerging Infectious Diseases

Institute of Medical Biochemistry

Center for Health Sciences

Federal University

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil