One Health News

Prominent U.S. One Health Physician Leader and Public Health Authority Moves to New Location   

United States One Health physician leader, Peter M. Rabinowitz, MD, MPH, has moved from Yale University School of Medicine to the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle, Washington, where he is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences.  Dr. Rabinowitz peterr7@u.washington.edu is Director of the Human-Animal Medicine Project and continues to be Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at Yale. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington.

The Human-Animal Medicine Project,( http://deohs.washington.edu/hamp/ ) now located at the University of Washington,  explores linkages between human, animal, and environmental health in a "One Health" paradigm, including zoonotic infectious diseases at the human-animal interface, animals as "sentinels" of environmental health hazards, and clinical collaboration between human health care providers and veterinarians in a species-spanning approach. 

Dr. Rabinowitz serves on the One Health Initiative Honorary Advisory Board http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/advBoard.php.  In addition to many other achievements, he is noted for co-editing/writing the groundbreaking ‘first of its kind’ One Health book entitled “Human-Animal Medicine – Clinical Approaches to Zoonoses, Toxicants and other Shared Health Risks” http://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/product.jsp?isbn=9781416068372.  This landmark book’s co-editor/author is the well known One Health veterinarian Lisa A. Conti, DVM, MPH http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Lisa%20Conti%20Biography%20June%202013.pdf.  Dr. Conti is also a member of the One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team.

A signature One Health Program Promoting Global Health Security and Human/Animal clinical health (comparative medicine/surgery research)...

University of Missouri – Columbia, MO 65211 (USA)

“The University of Missouri offers unmatched opportunities for collaboration in animal and human health. MU is the state’s major public research university with the state’s only College of Veterinary Medicine; Colleges of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Engineering and Human Environmental Sciences; Bond Life Sciences Center; Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions; and the most powerful university research reactor in the country. The initiative also connects with research and instruction in health care delivery, policy, business models, medical ethics and the culture of healthy living. ...”

PLEASE SEE: http://mizzouadvantage.missouri.edu/medicine/ and http://libraryguides.missouri.edu/onehealth

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Recognizes One Health Initiative Team and One Health Initiative website

On September 11, 2013, in a letter http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Kaplan_09-11-13.pdf, the current President of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Clark Fobian, DVM, notified the One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team about “... the AVMA’s public support and recognition for your efforts to promote public health via the One Health Initiative website, and elsewhere. ...”.  Dr. Fobian went on to say, “...We likewise look forward to achieving the comprehensive recognition and use of One Health as the necessary strategy to tackle complex challenges impacting the health of people, animals, and our environment.”

The One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team includes two physicians, two veterinarians and a health research scientist PhD: Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/LauraKahnBiographyJuly2013.pdf, Bruce Kaplan, DVM http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Bruce%20Kaplan%20Biography%20June%202013.pdf, Thomas P. Monath, MD http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Tom%20Monath%20Biography%20June%202013.pdf, Jack Woodall, PhD http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Jack%20Woodall%20Biography%20June%202013.pdf, and Lisa A. Conti, DVM, MPH http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Lisa%20Conti%20Biography%20June%202013.pdf.

Halley Faust Comments

Finding the right balance in contemporary issues

http://halleyfaust.wordpress.com/

 August 21, 2013 – 1:31 pm Categories: Animal-Human Medicine, Prevention | Post a comment

*Halley S. Faust, MD, MPH, MA

President

American College of Preventive Medicine

1260 Vallecita Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Voice: 505-501-8181 FREE

hfaust@jeromecapital.com

@onHealthPolicy

Blog: www.halleycomments.com

Animals and humans interact in many more ways than we think about in domestic suburbia.  Sure, we know that animal farmers are constantly in contact with their produce, and we are happy to pet our domestic cats and dogs.  Sure we recognize that some wild animals get rabies or, here in the desert of New Mexico, occasionally someone comes down with plague because of flea bites from infected indigenous rodents (our first case of this year was just last week).  And we’ve all heard of bird flu.

Yet there are many more ways that animals and humans interact that can compromise the health of individuals or populations.  In an excellent summary article, “Links among Human Health, Animal Health, and Ecosystem Health” Peter Rabinowitz and Lisa Conti from the Yale School of Medicine discuss how small-scale animal agriculture, human migration patterns and travel, animal worker practices, housing and land use development, changes in indigenous wildlife species, toxic hazards like the mercury poisoning in Minimata, Japan, and climate change impact animal and human health synergistically.

In 2007 the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) Policy Committee, of which I was a member and former Chair, passed a resolution introduced by the late Ron Davis urging the American Medical Association to “support an initiative designed to promote collaboration between human and veterinary medicine…encourage joint efforts in clinical care through the assessment, treatment, and prevention of cross-species disease transmission…AMA support cross-species disease surveillance and control efforts in public health…support joint efforts in the development and evaluation of new diagnostic methods, medicines, and vaccines for the prevention and control of diseases across species…[and] engage in a dialogue with the American Veterinary Medical Association to discuss strategies for enhancing collaboration between the medical and veterinary medical professions in medical education, clinical care, public health, and biomedical research.”

The AMA passed this resolution and has been a leader in encouraging the consideration of these issues.  The American College of Preventive Medicine has recently participated in a One Health capitol hill briefing and renewed its endorsement of the One Health initiative.  However, the greatest push to understand and deal with animal-human medical interactions has come from the veterinary community.  The medical community has been relatively quiescent on the issue unless an epidemic occurs.  When one looks at the One Health Commission there are only two MD individual members of the Board of Directors, and only one MD on the Council of Advisers.  (There are twelve on the honorary advisory board of the One Health Initiative.)

Who are the MD leaders concerned about this issue?  Mostly they are epidemiologists, infectious disease specialists, or ag-related occupational medicine specialists.  Two out of three of these specialists are under the medical specialty of preventive medicine.  There aren’t very many of us trained in preventive medicine.  The Institute of Medicine in 2007 estimated there are about 10,000 in the US and that we’d need another 10,000 over the next few years.  To quote from a report from ACPM:

• Between 1999 and 2006, the number of residents enrolled in preventive medicine training programs declined nearly 20%, and in 2007-08 less than half of the approved number of residency positions were filled.
• The number of preventive medicine residency programs decreased from 90 in 1999 to 71 in 2008-2009.

These trends have not abated.  The demand for such residencies has not decreased – it has always been high according to preventive medicine residency directors.  The problem is funding – preventive medicine is the one specialty not consistently mostly supported by the federal government.  Hence for those residency programs in existence, most can only find funding to fill half of their slots (and many approved residencies’ doors aren’t even open).

For human medicine to be fully engaged in the One Health initiative we need more human medicine physicians to be engaged in preventive medicine, which means more federal funding for residencies.  But as with prevention in general, western society tends to provide less than what is needed in the balance with treatment.

*One Health endorsement statement provided and posted to One Health Initiative website by ACPM President, Dr. Halley S. Faust August 18, 2013 http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/American%20College%20of%20Preventive%20Medicine%20One%20Health%20Endorsement%20August%2018%202013.doc.pdf

“The American College of Preventive Medicine http://www.acpm.org/ has had a long-standing commitment in support of activities that advance the One Health Initiative; indeed, we spearheaded the successful passage of the One Health AMA resolution in 2007. As preventive medicine physicians with unique training in clinical medicine and public health, we recognize that human and animal medicine are inextricably linked. We are pleased to offer our strong endorsement of the One Health initiative, fostering greater collaboration between human and animal medicine to improve population health. We look forward to our continued engagement in this effort.”

One Health in Action...

Prominent One Health Initiative Public Health Experts Quoted in Canadian News Article

The One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team member Thomas P. Monath, MD http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/Tom%20Monath%20Biography%20June%202013.pdf and Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/about-us/cidrap-staff/michael-t-osterholm-phd-mph, a distinguished member of the OHI Team’s Honorary Advisory Board http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/advBoard.php, were quoted in a Canadian CTV News item September 10, 2013.   The article was published byThe Canadian Press and written by the well known and respected medical reporter Helen Branswell http://pulitzercenter.org/people/helen-branswell.  It discussed the potential for developing a human Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) vaccine http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/.

Drs. Monath and Osterholm indicated that they support the idea for developing a vaccine for camels.  They prefer steering the current vaccine work towards an animal product if feasible for various reasons.

Please read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/is-a-mers-vaccine-coming-for-humans-no-time-soon-1.1449137. 

Important One Health Message from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives.  Our Grand Challenges Explorations program fosters early-stage discovery research to expand the pipeline of ideas for solving our greatest global health and development challenges.  Launched in 2008 with a $100 million commitment from the foundation, Grand Challenges Explorations grants have already been awarded to more than 850 researchers from more than 50 countries. Until November 12, 2013, we are accepting applications on five topics, including "One Health" Concept: Bringing Together Human and Animal Health for New Solutions.  

To learn more and apply please go tohttp://www.grandchallenges.org/Explorations/Pages/Introduction.aspx.  We also invite you to sign-up to receive future grant opportunity updates.”

One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team’s Proactive One Health Projects (2009-2013)

By Stephanie Crawford, BS, MPH(c), American Public Health Association (APHA), Policy Center Intern

Please see: http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/One%20Health%20Initiative%20Team%20%20Proactive%20Projects,%202009%20-%202013.%20August%2026%202013pdf.pdf

This is a partial list compiled by Ms. Crawford from a review of the One Health Initiative website while serving as an American Public Health Association (APHA) Intern and submitted August 13, 2013.  For further explanation, please see a previous publication on the Horizon Solutions Site, April 27, 2013, by One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team http://www.solutions-site.org/node/875.

Note: Ms. Crawford stepc08@vt.edu has completed her APHA internship and is currently completing her Master of Public Health degree program at Virginia Tech University http://mph.vetmed.vt.edu/.

Submitted to One Health Initiative website August 14, 2013 and posted September 4, 2013.

One Health approaches can lead to better preparedness in prevention and control of Zoonoses

*Delia Grace, MVB, MSc, Cert Wel, PhD; Bernard Bett, BVM, MVEE, PhD; and Steve Kemp, BSc, PhD

http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/ILRI%20OneHealth%20News%20Item%20FINAL.pdf

A group of research experts associated with the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium have called for a system-based ‘One Health’ approach to help catalyze better preparedness and surveillance that are informed by cross-disciplinary approaches.

One Health is a globally recognised approach established to promote the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines, working locally, nationally and globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment.

Writing in an Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Rapid Response Briefing titled Zoonoses – From Panic to Planning (January 2013), the researchers also note that One Health could help “accelerate research discoveries, enhance the efficacy of response and prevention efforts, and improve education and care”.

However, realigning policy to embrace One Health requires a shift in focus from the current disease-centred approach to one that considers the whole system and takes into account human health, animal health and ecosystems.

“Over two-thirds of all human infectious diseases have their origins in animals. The rate at which these zoonotic diseases have appeared in people has increased over the past 40 years, with at least 43 newly identified outbreaks since 2004. In 2012, outbreaks included Ebola in Uganda, yellow fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rift Valley fever in Mauritania.

Zoonotic diseases have a huge impact – and a disproportionate one on the poorest people in the poorest countries. In low-income countries, 20% of human sickness and death is due to zoonoses. Poor people suffer further when development implications are not factored into disease planning and response strategies.

A new, integrated ‘One Health’ approach to zoonoses that moves away from top-down disease-focused intervention is urgently needed. With this, we can put people first by factoring development implications into disease preparation and response strategies – and so move from panic to planning.”

The IDS briefing (http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/dmfile/ZoonosesRapidResponseBriefingFinal.pdf) is lead authored by Dr. Delia Grace, veterinary epidemiologist and food safety expert at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Scientists in ILRI are using One Health to improve understanding of the emergence of zoonotic diseases in developing countries and test the appropriateness of responses towards preventing and controlling these new threats.

ILRI is among 19 institutions in Africa, Europe and America that form the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa consortium. In addition to Dr. Grace, other ILRI scientists involved in the consortium are Dr. Bernard Bett, a veterinary epidemiologist, and Dr. Steve Kemp, a molecular geneticist.

The consortium conducts a major program to advance understanding of the connections between disease and environment in Africa.  Attention is on the following four zoonotic diseases and their impacts on ecosystems, human and animal health, livelihoods and wellbeing:

·         Henipavirus infection in Ghana

·         Rift Valley fever in Kenya

·         Lassa fever in Sierra Leone

·         Trypanosomiasis in Zambia and Zimbabwe

The focus of the consortium is animal-to-human disease transmission and its objective is to help move people out of poverty and promote social justice.

*NOTE: Drs. Grace, Bett and Kemp are One Health Supporter/Advocates http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php.  

Letter to the Editor: Missouri Medicine - [Kahn, LH.  One Health = One Great Issue (Letter), Missouri Medicine 2013;110:292.]

http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/One_Health_Correspondence_JulyAugust2013_MoMed.pdf

This Letter to the Editor (see PDF link above or full text below) was submitted to and published in the July/August Missouri Medicine Journal issue in response to the outstanding One Health issue published in the May/June issue of Missouri Medicine.  This was posted on the One Health Initiative website’s Publications page http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/One%20Medicine%20Book.pdf

 June 7, 2013:

CORRESPONDENCE 

One Health = One Great Issue!

http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/publications/One_Health_Correspondence_JulyAugust2013_MoMed.pdf

On behalf of my One Health Initiative (OHI) Autonomous pro bono team colleagues Bruce Kaplan, DVM, Thomas P. Monath, MD, Jack Woodall, PhD, Lisa A. Conti, DVM, MPH and myself, we greatly appreciate your visionary May/June 13 issue of Missouri Medicine on One Medicine [commonly referred to as One Health]. Drs. Kaplan (a veterinarian), Monath (a physician), Woodall (a biomedical research scientist), Conti (a veterinarian) and I manage the One Health Initiative website www.onehealthinitiative.com, designed to promote and distribute all pertinent U.S. and worldwide One Health information, publications, and upcoming events. This issue and articles from Missouri Medicine were posted on our website in our publications section.

“The One Health concept is a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. The synergism achieved will advance health care for the 21st century and beyond by accelerating biomedical research discoveries, enhancing public health efficacy, expeditiously expanding the scientific knowledge base, and improving medical education and clinical care. When properly implemented, it will help protect and save untold millions of lives in our present and future generations.”

A recent publication by the OHI team essentially demonstrates the crucial importance and exponential expansion of the One Health international movement over the past several years www.solutions-site.org/node/875.

Physicians, veterinarians and all health scientists should join forces in a “call to arms” for implementing One Health for the sake of human and animal welfare now and for civilization’s posterity. Indeed, there is an obvious critical need for One Health!

Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP

Research Scholar

Program on Science and Global Security

Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

Princeton University

Co-Founder, One Health Initiative

www.onehealthinitiative.com 

Columnist, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

www.thebulletin.org

PDF Provided by:

Lizabeth Fleenor | Dir. Communications | Managing Editor, Missouri Medicine

Missouri State Medical Association | 113 Madison | Jefferson City, MO 65102

800-869-6762 | www.msma.org| lfleenor@msma.org