One Health News

Visionary Joint One Health Endorsement Message by Physician and Veterinarian from India

“The fascinating history of human and animal medicine shows how concepts have developed over time. Each generation builds on the knowledge of the previous one. There have been antecedents to the concept of One Health from the days of Rudolf Virchow [physician], William Osler [physician] and Calvin Schwabe [veterinarian] or even earlier in ancient India as cited in the Vedic treatise of medicine ‘Shushrutha Samhitha’ (6th Century BC). Ancient physicians treating human conditions were also trained to treat animal diseases. These practitioners also understood the intricate relation between man, animals and the surroundings.

However, the concept of One Health has remained submerged. And it would have remained so if not for the resuscitative efforts of the core members at the One Health Initiative. Today every major medical, veterinary [medical] and public health organization in this world has endorsed the One Health Initiative.

A synchronized physician and veterinarian education could be the first step in propagating the concept of collaboration. It would enhance public health efficacy by expanding the scientific knowledge base and in the process establish that ‘between animal and human medicine there are no dividing lines nor should there be’ for the purpose of protecting and saving lives in our present and future generations.

On sensing the potential of this global initiative to forge interdisciplinary health collaboration in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment, we established an exclusive Post Graduate Diploma in Zoonoses at TANUVAS, the first Veterinary University in South East Asia (now in its silver jubilee year).

This initiative could be a small step towards something more significant in magnitude. We envision in the future, under aegis of the One Health Initiative a joint MD/DVM program could evolve in medical and veterinary schools around the world. It would produce a new breed of physician-veterinarian who would be a testimony to the concept of One Heath.

We congratulate our friends and colleagues at One Health Initiative for their unique leadership and commitment. Unparalleled advances in medicine and health care can be possible with the One Health approach. We would like to wish every success to all the people involved in this initiative.”

Provided to One Health Initiative website April 30, 2014 by:

L. Gunaseelan, MVSc, PhD

http://www.tanuvas.ac.in/faculty/gunaseelan_l.html

Professor and Head Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology

Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University http://www.tanuvas.ac.in/

Chennai, India

Note: Dr. Gunaseelan, a veterinarian, is also Adjunct Professor, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University (USA).  His areas of expertise and interest include viral diseases, vaccinology and helmintic zooonoses.

and

Gifty Immanuel, MD, MPH & TM, PhD

Director, Center for AIDS & Antiviral Research

Tooveypuram, Tuticorin

Tamilnadu, India, pin-628003

Phone +91-9008067000

www.medicalvirology.com

Note: Dr. Immanual is an infectious diseases physician and Director, Center for AIDS & Antiviral Research at Tuticorin, India www.medicalvirology.com.  He is involved in research and clinical management of human viral infections with areas of interest including zoonoses, biodefense and communicable disease control.  Dr. Immanual is a longstanding One Health supporter/advocate and is included in the One Health Initiative Supporter list http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php.

A One Health issue, Food Safety---

Food Safety in USA: Irradiation of Food, an essential tool neglected for decades…

a disgrace!

http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Food%20Safety%20Irradition%20tool%20OHI%20website%20Posting%20April%2030,%202014.pdf

“Michael T. Osterholm [PhD, MPH], director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, blames an *“anti-science movement” for the public resistance. He is frustrated with the federal government for endorsing irradiation but then not educating the public as it has with childhood immunizations and water fluoridation.

“Not using irradiation is the single greatest public health failure of the last part of the 20th century in America,” said Osterholm, citing CDC estimates that 1 in 6 people will get food poisoning this year and 3,000 will die. “We could have saved so many lives.”  The Washington Post April 28, 2014 http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/efforts-to-zap-bacteria-in-food-are-slow-to-catch-hold/2014/04/27/bf406d3c-cbbe-11e3-95f7-7ecdde72d2ea_story.html [an outstanding journalistic-educational public service presentation].

**Dr. Osterholm, an eminent internationally known public health expert, has voiced a long recognized and tragic “public health malpractice” by those with fiduciary responsibility to protect the U.S. public from foodborne illness and death!  The One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team shares his frustration.  

Why has this happened?  Because of loud vocal—outspoken—public misinformation, distortions and prejudicial ignorance disgracefully unchallenged efficaciously by federal, state and local governments as well as major news media sources and allegedly responsible consumer activist advocates for decades.  This has left a large segment of the consumer public in the dark and irrationally fearful about the safety of ingesting irradiated food(s)… meanwhile untold numbers of American citizens (men, women and children) have become ill and died unnecessarily over the decades as a result.  During the early history of pasteurization, this same *canard against the process was and is unfortunately again being spewed today.

Please read the scientific truth:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm261680.htm

U.S. Department of Agriculture – Food Safety and Inspection Service: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/production-and-inspection/irradiation-and-food-safety/irradiation-food-safety-faq

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/sources/food_history.html

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/irradiation_food/

**Dr. Osterholm http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/about-us/cidrap-staff/michael-t-osterholm-phd-mph is also one of the longstanding distinguished participating members of the One Health Initiative team’s Honorary Advisory Board http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/advBoard.php.

Prominent Indian One Health Physician/Scientist Encourages Establishment of Unique Post Graduate Diploma in Zoonoses at Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS)

“I am a physician/scientist and a supporter of your “One Health” initiative.  A few years back I had requested the faculty at Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (http://www.tanuvas.ac.in/) to start a Post Graduate Diploma in Zoonoses for veterinary as well as human health professionals.

After much persuasion, the PG Diploma was started in 2012 and Prof. L. Gunaseelan http://www.tanuvas.ac.in/faculty/gunaseelan_l.html of the Department of Veterinary Public Health TANUVAS was instrumental in creating the program.

I belong to the first group of graduates to receive this diploma, please find attached description of this program http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/PG%20Diploma%20Zoonoses.pdf.

I have always felt that my veterinary [medical] colleagues, world over, have had intricate knowledge of microbial diseases and transmission pathways.  And I truly believe this program could serve as an example of collaboration between animal and human health professionals.”

Provided by:

Gifty Immanuel, MD, MPH & TM, PhD

Director, Center for AIDS & Antiviral Research

Tooveypuram, Tuticorin

Tamilnadu, India, pin-628003

Phone +91-9008067000

www.medicalvirology.com

Dr. Immanuel is a longstanding One Health supporter/advocate and is included in the One Health Initiative Supporter list http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php.

One Health model at University of Saskatchewan (Canada) trains future public health leaders

At the University of Saskatchewan (http://www.usask.ca/) in Western Canada, the One Health model is transforming the way health science disciplines are taught.  Students from across the health, environmental and policy sciences are now studying and working together to address problems in disease mitigation.

An integrated training program taught by experts in human, animal and environmental sciences will train 75 graduate students over eight years to deal with complex One Health challenges in areas such as infectious disease, food safety and public policy. 

“Through this program, we use integrated, experiential learning to train students in multiple disciplines so they can use their diverse knowledge to be creative in solving public health and food safety issues,” said Baljit Singh, associate dean of research at the university’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine.  “We’ve also developed a new set of courses that encourages students to think more globally when they tackle their own research projects.”

The U of S is collaborating with the Free University of Berlin and the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVAS) in Punjab, India, so graduates of the program will be exposed to international research environments.

Established in 2012 with a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) (http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/Grants-Subs/CREATE-FONCER_eng.asp) program addresses the private and public sectors’ urgent need for highly qualified personnel skilled in combating and managing complex public health threats such as emerging zoonotic diseases (transmissible between animals and humans) and food-borne pathogens.

Student and faculty interest is high in this emerging interdisciplinary domain. Problem-based learning modules and One Health certificate programs are being developed at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. 

One Health has been identified as “signature area” of research at the University of Saskatchewan. Four priority research themes have been identified: food safety; water and health; infectious diseases shared by animals and humans; and One Health community needs and services.

The university has a full complement of health science disciplines, including veterinary medicine, graduate schools of public health, public policy and the environment and sustainability.  It is home to world-class research centers and facilities such as the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO InterVac), the Canadian Center for Health and Safety in Agriculture, the Toxicology Centre, the Global Institute for Water Security, the Canadian Light Source synchrotron, and the Global Institute for Food Security.

The university is currently applying for federal funding for a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Integrated Infectious Disease Mitigation, and a Network of Centers of Excellence research program in One Health.

More information is available at:

http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/graduate_programs/ITraP_program/index.php

Provided by:

Bruce Reeder, MD, DTM&H, MHSc, FRCPC

University of Saskatchewan

Community Health and Epidemiology

College of Medicine

https://www.medicine.usask.ca/che/faculty/faculty/bruce-reeder.html

One Health Commission (USA) Communications Committee Chairman explains his One Health Insights

April 10, 2014—“I first became interested in One Health by my long standing interest and belief in One Medicine. In that endeavor I brought together at the Division of Surgery in the Harvard Center for Comparative Medicine physicians, veterinarians, nurses, applied science faculty (engineers and mathematicians), and various medical and surgical technicians.

Our goal was to “fast track” ideas and new procedures to the bedside-----this was a sped up version of moving translational research forward to the patient. Ideas came from anyone and everyone brought something to the table on every project. The results were astounding!!!

From that experience it was natural evolution for me to think more about One Health as a worldwide platform to push the concept that the wellbeing of humans, non-human animals, and plants are all inter-connected and it is going to take physicians, veterinarians, ecologists, public health scientists and most importantly the public or society as a whole to move this along and to demand or expect that thinking and policy will be directed at threats to the Earth’s wellbeing.  

Education of society is paramount to accomplish this in a meaningful way.”

Arthur L. Lage, DVM, DACVIM

Associate Professor of Surgery

Associate Professor of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology

Director of the Harvard Center for Comparative Medicine, HMS

Director of the Division of Surgery, HCCM

Harvard Medical School

665 Huntington Avenue

Boston, MA 02115

Phone:  617-432-1289

Fax:  617-432-2438

Note: Dr. Lage was appointed as the first Chairman of The One Health Commission’s https://www.onehealthcommission.org/ (OHC) newly established Communications Committee.  The OHC operates in the U.S. with a Board of Directors and Cheryl M. Stroud, DVM, PhD is the Commission’s Executive Director.

Prominent Public Health Physician Joins One Health Initiative Team’s Honorary Advisory Board

The One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team is delighted to announce that Dr. Virginia Dato, a physician, has graciously accepted becoming a member of the team’s Honorary Advisory Board http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/advBoard.php on April 10, 2014.  The One Health Initiative Honorary Advisory Board was established in 2010 and has 32 distinguished members from within the U.S. and worldwide.

Dr. Dato is the immediate Past President of the American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP) www.AAPHP.org and http://www.aaphp.org/OneHealth.   She was and is an ardent supporter and activist of and for the One Health concept.  During her tenure as AAPHP president Dr. Dato endorsed One Health on behalf of the Association on November 22, 2012: http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Dr.%20Dato%20AAPHP%20Endorsement%20Nov%2022%202012.pdf.

 Dr. Dato is board certified in Public Health/Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics.  She has been at the Pennsylvania Department of Health since May of 2002.  Prior to this Dr. Dato worked at the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services in a variety of roles including the senior public health physician in the infectious Disease Program, program manager of Maternal Child Health Epidemiology, Chair of the Institutional Review Board and Co-Director of the Public Health Residency.  She has investigated over 50 outbreaks and has publications in a wide variety of public health areas including public health training, rabies, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), lyme disease, candida infections, public health informatics and maternal and child health.

 Dr. Dato is listed as a supporter/advocate on the One Health Initiative Supporter list http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php.

Missouri State Medical Association Adopts One Health Resolution – 3^rd in the nation (USA)

April 6, 2014—The Missouri State Medical Association became the 3^rd state in the United States to adopt a One Health resolution with Florida being the first and Massachusetts the second.  This was reported to the One Health Initiative website by physician Dr. John C. Hagan:

“I am pleased to tell you that The Missouri State Medical Association (MSMA) today unanimously passed a resolution to become the third state medical society to endorse the One Health Initiative. It will take a while for the formal mechanisms of MSMA to complete but you will receive a letter from MSMA executive director Tom Holloway on MSMA letterhead for your records. We continue to receive positive responses and e mails requesting copies of articles from the One Health issue of Missouri Medicine (May/June 2013) [http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/One%20Medicine%20Book.pdf].

With regards,”

John C. Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO,

Editor, Missouri Medicine medical journal

2010 President Kansas City Metro Med Soc

Missouri Society of Eye Physicians & Surgeons Membership Chair

jhagan@bizkc.rr.com

phone: 816 520-8087

fax: 816 454-8478

World Veterinary Association (WVA) Adopts Position on One Health Concept

On March 20, 2014 the World Veterinary Association Council adopted a position paper on the One Health concept. Please see: http://www.worldvet.org/uploads/docs/wva_position_paper_on_one__health_concept.pdf.

Provided April 4, 2014 to One Health Initiative website by:

Dr. Zeev Noga

Veterinary Policy Officer

World Veterinary Association (WVA)

B-1040 Brussels

Tel: +32 (0) 2 533 70 22

zeev_noga@worldvet.org
secretariat@worldvet.org
http://www.worldvet.org

Meeting the challenge of the Ebola crisis in Guinea (West Africa) or elsewhere requires a “One Health” approach, i.e. interdisciplinary collaborations among public health officials including physicians, veterinarians and other health scientists. 

See: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/alert/ebola-guinea

One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team: Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP ▪ Bruce Kaplan, DVM ▪ Thomas P. Monath, MD ▪ Jack Woodall, PhD ▪ Lisa A. Conti, DVM, MPH

A strong One Health supporter/advocate…

The Bella Moss Foundation (United Kingdom):

“Our Vision

A world where multi resistant bacteria are a rarity …”

PLEASE SEE: www.thebellamossfoundation.com

One Health worldwide links: http://www.onehealthbmf.com/links/ AND http://www.thebellamossfoundation.com/about-the-foundation/partners-collaborations/