Institute of Medicine - One Health Study Potential Highly Significant:

For National and Global One Health Implementation and Institutionalization

Prepared by Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP, Bruce Kaplan, DVM, Thomas P. Monath, MD and Jack Woodall, PhD - November 30, 2009

   One Health Initiative http://www.onehealthinitiative.com Website Team

The National Academy of Sciences’  Board on Global Health of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the National Research Council (NRC) have announced their intention to conduct  a study of the One Health Initiative in early 2010 pending acquiring needed funding estimated at approximately $1.3 million.  On November 17, 2009, the newly formed One Health Commission (OHC), a national U.S. incorporated, non-profit organization of supportive entities—including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and others—provided a ‘summit’ meeting where the IOM announced its intent to conduct a study that will evaluate the efficacy of implementing and institutionalizing the One Health concept in the United States and hopefully worldwide.

According to the OHC press release, “the Institute of Medicine study will examine the interdependencies of human, animal and ecosystem health and assess the potential value to be gained through a collaborative approach towards improved health worldwide. The results of the study will be utilized to develop a strategic roadmap for public and private policies and initiatives that will be instrumental in shaping the implementation of the One Health vision [concept].”

The Institute of Medicine http://www.iom.edu/en/About-IOM.aspx is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public.

The IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and was established in 1970.   NAS was chartered under President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Nearly 150 years later, the NAS expanded into what is collectively known as the National Academies, now comprises the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Research Council, and the IOM.

The mission of IOM is to serve as adviser to the nation to improve health. The IOM asks and answers the nation’s most pressing questions about health and health care.  Its goal is to help those in government and the private sector make informed health decisions by providing evidence upon which they can rely. Each year, more than 2,000 individuals, members, and nonmembers volunteer their time, knowledge, and expertise to advance the nation’s health through the work of the IOM.

Many of the studies that the IOM undertakes begin as specific mandates from Congress; still others are requested by federal agencies and independent organizations.  Expert, consensus committees are vital to the IOM advisory role.  They also convene a series of forums, roundtables, and standing committees, as well as other activities, to facilitate discussion, discovery, and critical, cross-disciplinary thinking.

Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD, is President of the Institute of Medicine (IOM). He served as Provost of Harvard University from 1997 to 2001, following thirteen years as Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health. He has devoted most of his academic career to the fields of health policy and medical decision making. His past research has focused on the process of policy development and implementation, assessment of medical technology, evaluation and use of vaccines, and dissemination of medical innovations.

Dr. Fineberg helped found and served as president of the Society for Medical Decision Making and also served as consultant to the World Health Organization. At the Institute of Medicine, he has chaired and served on a number of panels dealing with health policy issues, ranging from AIDS to new medical technology. He also served as a member of the Public Health Council of Massachusetts (1976-1979), as chairman of the Health Care Technology Study Section of the National Center for Health Services Research (1982-1985), and as president of the Association of Schools of Public Health (1995-1996).

Dr. Fineberg is co-author of the books Clinical Decision Analysis, Innovators in Physician Education, and The Swine Flu Affair, an analysis of the controversial federal immunization program against swine flu in 1976. He has co-edited several books on such diverse topics as AIDS prevention, vaccine safety, and understanding risk in society. He has also authored numerous articles published in professional journals. Dr. Fineberg is the recipient of several honorary degrees and the Joseph W. Mountin Prize from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. He earned his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from Harvard University.

Patrick Kelley, MD, DrPH, joined the IOM in July 2003 as Director Board on Global Health and was later appointed the Director of the Board of African Science Academy Development.  Dr. Kelly has published 60 scholarly papers, monographs, book chapters.

Dr. Kelley served in the U.S. Army for more than 23 years as a physician, residency director, epidemiologist, and program manager. In his last position with the Department of Defense, he founded and directed the presidentially-mandated Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System.

In this role, he managed approximately $42 million dollars of emerging infections surveillance, response, training, and capacity-building activities in partnership with numerous elements of the federal government and with health ministries in over 45 developing countries.

Dr. Kelley obtained his MD from the University of Virginia and his DrPH from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

The IOM's Board on Global Health is concerned with advancing the health of populations worldwide. This involves addressing developing country health issues, enhancing the United States role in global health, and addressing health issues that have implications for U.S. health policy. In 2009, the IOM's Board is scheduled to release a report that will press for a deeper commitment to global health by the U.S. and communicate specific conclusions and recommendations that would pertain to not only the government, but also to the private sector, academia, the public health and scientific research communities, the diplomatic and national security communities, foundations, and the media.

The National Research Council (NRC) http://sites.nationalacademies.org/NRC/index.htm  functions under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The NAS, NAE, IOM, and NRC are part of a private, nonprofit institution that provides science, technology and health policy advice under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln that was originally granted to the NAS in 1863. Under this charter, the NRC was established in 1916, the NAE in 1964, and the IOM in 1970. The four organizations are collectively referred to as the National Academies.

The mission of the NRC is to improve government decision making and public policy, increase public education and understanding, and promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, technology, and health. The institution takes this charge seriously and works to inform policies and actions that have the power to improve the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world.

The NRC is committed to providing elected leaders, policy makers, and the public with expert advice based on sound scientific evidence. The NRC does not receive direct federal appropriations for its work. Individual projects are funded by federal agencies, foundations, other governmental and private sources, and the institution’s endowment. The work is made possible by 6,000 of the world’s top scientists, engineers, and other professionals who volunteer their time without compensation to serve on committees and participate in activities.  The NRC is administered jointly by the NAS, NAE, and the IOM through the NRC Governing Board.

The core services involve collecting, analyzing, and sharing information and knowledge. The independence of the institution, combined with its unique ability to convene experts, allows it to be responsive to a host of requests.

The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) http://www.national-academies.org/ilar, founded in 1952, is a component of the National Research Council's Division on Earth and Life Studies. It serves as a coordinating agency and a national and international resource for compiling and disseminating information on laboratory animals, promoting education, planning and conducting conferences and symposia, surveying existing and required facilities and resources, upgrading laboratory animal resources, and promoting high-quality, humane care of laboratory animals. ILAR is guided by a 15-member Council, made up of experts in laboratory animal medicine, zoology, genetics, and related biomedical sciences.

The Kahn-Kaplan-Monath-Woodall One Health team strongly supports and endorses prospects for an IOM-NRC “One Health” study.

NEW Online Food Safety Course Offered by Institute of Food Technologists

The Institute of Food Technologists is offering a new online food safety course to help participants learn more about incorporating food safety throughout the entire product development process. Explore the key issues concerning food safety, identify food safety hazards and control measures, and deepen their understanding about HACCP considerations, quality management systems, and other food safety practices.
 
This course that will help you to identify food safety issues within the product development process, discover ways to apply sound science in key aspects of product development, understand food safety regulations throughout the product development process, learn to apply lessons learned from past food safety issues and cases, and recognize the importance of consumer concerns about food safety. More information about this course can be found at: www.ift.org/learnonline.

 From National Meat Association’s Weekly Newsletter – ‘Lean Trimmings and Herd On The Hill’  November 23, 2009 http://nmaonline.org/index.php

*Happy Thanksgiving to ALL from One Health Initiative website’s One Health team!

One Health Supporter Stephen S. Morse Named Director of USAID Early Warning Project

Initiative will monitor diseases that move between animals and people to prevent next pandemic

http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/news/stephen-s-morse-named-director-usaid-early-warning-project

November 9, 2009 -- A new project -- PREDICT -- has been created with up to $75 million in funds over five years from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats Program to develop a global warning system for newly emerging diseases and to anticipate and prevent emerging infectious diseases that move between animals and people in order to prevent the next global pandemic. Stephen S. Morse, Ph.D., professor of clinical Epidemiology and former director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, was named director of the PREDICT program.

PREDICT is being funded by USAID to help prepare the world for infectious diseases like H1N1 flu, avian flu, SARS and Ebola. The program is a major component of USAID’s overall Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) program, which builds on the successes of USAID’s long-standing efforts in developing global health capacity and disease surveillance, training, and outbreak response, particularly those addressing avian and pandemic influenza.

The PREDICT program that Dr. Morse will direct includes a consortium of organizations led by the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of California Davis. The other organizations in the PREDICT consortium include the Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Trust, Global Viral Forecasting, Inc., and the Smithsonian Institution. The concept of ‘One Health’ -- that human, animal, and environmental health are inextricably linked and should be considered holistically -- is a core principle of the PREDICT effort.

The current H1N1 influenza pandemic, which is thought to have originated in swine, is a reminder that controlling pandemics and other emerging infections requires understanding of their origins and ecology in nature. “Historically, pandemics occurred perhaps every 30 to 40 years,” noted Dr. Morse. “But in our modern world, the chances of novel diseases or even a new pandemic emerging are greater than ever because of how we live and the extent to which we travel. Our human settlements and roadways push deeper into forests and wild areas where we now raise livestock and poultry; and we transport ourselves, our animals, and our food farther and faster around the globe.”

“Predicting where new diseases may emerge from wild animals and detecting viruses and other pathogens before they spread among people give us the best chance to prevent new pandemics,” said scientist Jonna Mazet, who is leading the PREDICT project at UC Davis and the director of UC Davis’ new One Health Institute in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

The PREDICT team will be active in global hotspots where important wildlife host species have significant interaction with domestic animals and high-density human populations. They include South America's Amazon Basin, Africa’s Congo Basin and neighboring Rift Valley, South Asia's Gangetic Plain, and Southeast Asia. Those conditions enable the spread of microbes, especially viruses and bacteria, from animals to humans.

Among the 1,461 pathogens recognized to cause diseases in humans, at least 60 percent are of animal origin. Notable outbreaks of these animal-to-human diseases, or zoonoses, include:

• The 1918 influenza pandemic, which was probably caused by a virus that jumped from birds, killed over 50 million people globally;
• The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which moved from chimpanzees to people, and now infects more than 33 million individuals;
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which emerged in 2003 from southern China "wet markets" where live wild animals are sold for food; and
• The recent outbreaks of avian influenza H5N1, or "bird flu," as well as the current H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Dr. Stephen S. Morse previously served as program manager for Biodefense at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Department of Defense, where he co-directed the Pathogen Countermeasures program, and in the laboratory as a professor in virology at The Rockefeller University. Dr. Morse originated the term and concept of emerging viruses/infections; and currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats, and served on the original National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Emerging Microbial Threats to Health (and chaired its Task Force on Viruses). He was the founding chair of ProMED (the nonprofit international Program to Monitor Emerging Diseases) and an originator of ProMED-mail, an international network inaugurated by ProMED in 1994 for outbreak reporting and disease monitoring using the Internet. Most recently, he has been working on predictive models for influenza and the 1918 pandemic. His book, Emerging Viruses (Oxford University Press) was selected by "American Scientist" for its list of "100 Top Science Books of the 20th Century.

About the Mailman School of Public Health
The only accredited school of public health in New York City and among the first in the nation, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health pursues an agenda of research, education, and service to address the critical and complex public health issues affecting millions of people locally and globally. The Mailman School is the recipient of some of the largest government and private grants in Columbia University’s history. Its more than 1000 graduate students pursue master’s and doctoral degrees, and the School’s 300 multi-disciplinary faculty members work in more than 100 countries around the world, addressing such issues as infectious and chronic diseases, health promotion and disease prevention, environmental health, maternal and child health, health over the life course, health policy, and public health preparedness. More information: http://www.mailman.columbia.edu

About the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
As a top veterinary school internationally, and the leading one in preventive medicine and wildlife health, UC Davis has an extensive research and training track record in the fields of epidemiology, surveillance, zoonotic diseases, comparative medicine, diagnostics, wildlife pathogens and conservation, food safety, disease prevention, and outbreak response. The school has trained more than 800 international veterinarians from 75 countries, including hotspots in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Its One Health Institute and Wildlife Health Center manage One Health programs for people and animals ranging from the Pacific Northwest to Africa's Congo Basin and Rift Valley. More information: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ohi/predict/index.cfm

About USAID
USAID is the lead U.S. Government Agency providing foreign development and humanitarian assistance. The agency's Global Development Alliance (GDA) links U.S. foreign assistance with the resources, expertise and creativity of the private sector as well as nongovernmental organizations. Since its launch in 2001, the Global Development Alliance has changed the way many U.S. international development projects are financed and implemented. USAID has cultivated more than 900 public-private alliances with over 1,700 individual partners to benefit development programming. More information: http://www.usaid.gov.

An Important New Book by Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP

          *NOW AVAILABLE… 

http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/C9485.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Whos-Charge-Leadership-Epidemics-International/dp/0275994856/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259598191&sr=8-1 

Who's In Charge?
Leadership during Epidemics, Bioterror Attacks, and Other Public Health Crises
Series: Praeger Security International
Laura H. Kahn

0-275-99485-6/978-0-275-99485-3

Laura H. Kahn

ISBN: 0-275-99485-6

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99485-3

236 pages

Praeger Publishers

*Publication: 9/30/2009

List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £34.95)

*Availability: Not yet published. (Estimated publication date, 9/30/2009)

Media Type: Hardcover

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Series Title: Praeger Security International

Description

An imminent threat to the public health, such as the swine flu outbreak, is no time for a muddled chain of command and contradictory decision making. Who's In Charge? Leadership during Epidemics, Bioterror Attacks, and Other Public Health Crises explores the crucial relationships between political leaders, public health officials, journalists, and others to see why leadership confusion develops.

About the Author

Laura H. Kahn is a physician and research scholar in the Program on Science and Global Security at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ.

To order, visit www.greenwood.com, call 1-800-368-6868, or use this order form:

·                                 Check enclosed made payable to Greenwood Publishing Group

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Mail this form to: ABC-CLIO
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Who's In Charge? begins by looking at the overarching issues of leadership, public health administration, and the threats of bioterrorism. It then examines five recent emergencies—the 2001 anthrax attacks and 1993 cryptosporidium outbreak in the United States, the 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto, the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease crisis, and the decade-long battle against Mad Cow Disease in the U.K. A perfect text for schools in public health, or as a reference for elected officials at every level of government, the book shows how each event developed step-by-step to pinpoint specific leadership issues. Engaging and absorbing, the work presents official reports, medical literature, first-person accounts from officials and journalists, and discussions of the role of law enforcement and the military during health care emergencies.

Title Features:

• First-person accounts from leaders involved in the actual crises, as well as leading experts, scientists, and others
• Primary documents including excerpts from official reports and the medical literature
• Chronologies of five recent public health emergencies
• A comprehensive index organized by disease and by individuals involved in emergency response

One Health Liaison Website Links with University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine

                                            November 4, 2009

“The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine is emerging as a leader in interdisciplinary research into new treatments that will benefit human and animal health — the One Health/One Medicine concept.” …read more, see link below:

http://www.cvm.missouri.edu/news/onehealthinitiative.htm

Historic FIRST Joint One Health Symposium with the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) and the Society of Veterinary Tropical Medicine (SVTM) will be held Nov 21, 2009 at 3:45 p.m.

ASTMH 58th Annual Meeting
November 18-22, 2009
Washington, DC, USA
Contact: info@astmh.org
www.astmh.org

The agenda:

TITLE: One World - One Health and Intercontinental Invaders

First Joint Symposium of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene and the Society of Veterinary Tropical Medicine

Bob H. Bokma, E. Paul Gibbs, Thomas P. Monath, Co-Chairs

“ONE HEALTH" APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE ZOONOTIC WATERBORNE PROTOZOAL PARASITES IN CALIFORNIA AND TANZANIA - Patricia A. Conrad, Woutrina Miller, Deana Clifford, and Jonna K. Mazet

RIFT VALLEY FEVER VIRUS, A ZOONOTIC DISEASE OF HIGH CONSEQUENCE IN BOTH THE VETERINARY AND HUMAN HEALTH ARENAS – T.G. Ksiazek

MARINE VERTEBRATES AS SENTINELS OF EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES: ONE HEALTH LINKING LAND TO SEA - A. Alonso Aguirre

HOW WEST NILE AND AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUSES ILLUSTRATE THE CHALLENGES IN APPLYING ONE HEALTH - Samantha E. J. Gibbs

CONCURRENT DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL WEST NILE VACCINES FOR HUMANS AND EQUIDS: APPLICATION OF ONE HEALTH PRINCIPLES - Thomas P. Monath

Newly Formed One Health Commission Holds Groundbreaking Summit at National Academy of Sciences on One Health: Improving Health in an Interconnected World

Institute of Medicine announces study on One Health

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly formed One Health Commission, in partnership with the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, today held a groundbreaking summit at the National Academy of Sciences convening leading health science experts across the human, animal and ecosystem disciplines. The One Health Commission Summit aimed to raise awareness of the importance of transcending institutional and disciplinary boundaries to improve health outcomes for all species. During the Summit, the Institute of Medicine formally announced its intent to conduct a study that will shape the One Health vision.

Doug O'Brien, J.D., Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, delivered the keynote address, calling for integrated solutions and collaborative leadership to address the significant challenges of a changing environment populated by interconnected animal, human and ecosystem interactions.

"As we combat global pandemics, such as H1N1 influenza, it is imperative that health science professions, academia, government agencies and non-governmental organizations act in unison across the human, animal and ecosystem sciences," said Mr. O'Brien.

Leading experts from such disparate organizations as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University also expressed the critical need for a One Health approach through the purview of their diverse fields.

The Institute of Medicine study will examine the interdependencies of human, animal and ecosystem health and assess the potential value to be gained through a collaborative approach towards improved health worldwide. The results of the study will be utilized to develop a strategic roadmap for public and private policies and initiatives that will be instrumental in shaping the implementation of the One Health vision. The Institute of Medicine study is scheduled to launch in early 2010, pending the acquirement of sufficient funding.

Dr. Roger Mahr, DVM, Chief Executive Officer of the One Health Commission, indicated, "The Institute of Medicine study will afford the opportunity to develop an evidence-based rationale for One Health and offer recommendations to guide the implementation of One Health, both domestically and internationally."

An audio webcast of the event is available at www.national-academies.org. A comprehensive agenda and additional information about the One Health Commission Summit can be accessed at www.onehealthcommission.org.

The One Health Commission Summit set the stage for the work of the Commission, which was created to establish closer professional collaborations and educational opportunities across the health science professions and their related disciplines. By bringing together policy makers and leaders from the private, public and academic sectors, the One Health Commission hopes to develop and sustain an integrated strategy for improved public health based on the principles of One Health. The Commission's goals also include raising awareness of the value of One Health and developing an interdisciplinary research agenda for the One Health movement.

About the One Health Commission

The One Health Commission represents a call for greater cooperation across multiple disciplines at the local, national and global level to achieve optimal health for people, domestic animals, wildlife and the environment. The Commission incorporated as a nonprofit organization on June 29, 2009. Initial funding for the creation of the One Health Commission includes a grant provided by The Rockefeller Foundation. For more information, visit www.onehealthcommission.org.

SOURCE One Health Commission

 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/newly-formed-one-health-commission-holds-groundbreaking-summit-at-national-academy-of-sciences-on-one-health-improving-health-in-an-interconnected-world-70291322.html

U vet school gets $55M to study deadly pandemics

The University of Minnesota's School of Veterinary Medicine has been awarded a $55 million federal grant, one of the largest in the university's history, to help stop future pandemic diseases around the globe….

By JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY, Star Tribune

Last update: October 30, 2009 - 10:39 PM

SEE full article: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/67833552.html?page=1&c=y

VetsWEB.com

http://www.vetsweb.com/news/iceland-h1n1-outbreak-in-pigs-possibly-from-staff-587.html

Iceland: H1N1 outbreak in pigs possibly from staff

//29 Oct 2009

The ag authorities of Iceland reported ten cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 on a farm of 4500 pigs.

Clinical signs started with 10 sows off feed, temperature >40°C, some were coughing and two aborted.

Two workers had had flu-like symptoms for a few days prior to the clinical signs in the pigs, which makes it possible that the H1N1 influenza was transmitted from them to the pigs.

Source: OIE

“ONE HEALTH in Action”!

      ---ProMED-Mail---

Early on, editor Dr. Larry Madoff, several of the associate editors and other participants of ProMED-mail (see listed below) expressed strong support for the One Health concept to the One Health team founders of the One Health Intiative website.  Their important global action contributions have been and are a significant example of “One Health”! 

“ProMED-mail - the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases - is an Internet-based reporting system dedicated to rapid global dissemination of information on outbreaks of infectious diseases and acute exposures to toxins that affect human health, including those in animals and in plants grown for food or animal feed. Electronic communications enable ProMED-mail to provide up-to-date and reliable news about threats to human, animal, and food plant health around the world, seven days a week.

By providing early warning of outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging diseases, public health precautions at all levels can be taken in a timely manner to prevent epidemic transmission and to save lives.

ProMED-mail is open to all sources and free of political constraints. Sources of information include media reports, official reports, online summaries, local observers, and others. Reports are often contributed by ProMED-mail subscribers. A team of expert human, plant, and animal disease moderators screen, review, and investigate reports before posting to the network. Reports are distributed by email to direct subscribers and posted immediately on the ProMED-mail web site. ProMED-mail currently reaches over 40,000 subscribers in at least 185 countries.

A central purpose of ProMED-mail is to promote communication amongst the international infectious disease community, including scientists, physicians, epidemiologists, public health professionals, and others interested in infectious diseases on a global scale. ProMED-mail encourages subscribers to participate in discussions on infectious disease concerns, to respond to requests for information, and to collaborate together in outbreak investigations and prevention efforts. ProMED-mail also welcomes the participation of interested persons outside of the health and biomedical professions.

ProMED-mail was established in 1994 with the support of the Federation of American Scientists and SatelLife. Since October 1999, ProMED-mail has operated as an official program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, a nonprofit professional organization with 20,000 members worldwide.

ProMED-mail is also available in Portuguese, ProMED-PORT, and in Spanish, ProMED-ESP. Both of these lists cover disease news and topics relevant to Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, respectively. ProMED-RUS offers Russian-language reports relevant to the independent states of the former Soviet Union. PRO/MBDS offers reports in English on countries in Southeast Asia bordering the Mekong river. Under a recent grant from Google.org, ProMED-mail is working to enlarge our networks in West Africa (ProMED-FRA) posted in French, and East Africa (ProMED-EAFR) posted in English.

ProMED-mail and ISID are grateful to Google.org, the Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Oracle Corporation, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, and many individual donors for financial support. Please consider a donation by clicking on the Donations link on the left.

Web services for ProMED-mail are provided as a public service by the Oracle Corporation. E-mail services are provided by the Harvard School of Public Health.”

Publications and Presentations by ProMED Authors
http://www.isid.org/publications/promed_mail_publications.shtml

ProMED in the News
http://www.isid.org/publications/promed_mail_inthenews.shtml