Among short presentations made to Sir Mark Walport, the UK chief scientific adviser, on his 15 Jul 2015 tour of the biosciences laboratories at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya, was one by Joerg Jores, a molecular biologist working to better control important livestock diseases of Africa and other developing regions. Jores is a senior scientist in ILRI’s Vaccine Biosciences program whose work supports the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish. Continue reading
Category Archives: Animal Diseases
UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 1—Legacy of British-ILRI partnerships in animal health research
There has been a long-term, consistent and highly productive engagement between research institutions and funding bodies of the United Kingdom and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and its predecessors, the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) and the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA). Continue reading
Tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century–The Lancet
The 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change was been formed to map out the impacts of climate change and the necessary policy responses. The central finding from the Commission’s work is that tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century. One of the authors of the paper is ILRI veterinary epidemiologist and food safety expert Delia Grace, of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Continue reading
Scientists from France and Kenya meet in Nairobi to sketch out plans for joint livestock research projects in Africa
On 9-10 June 2015, a delegation from CIRAD, the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization, visited ILRI in Nairobi to develop concrete ideas for collaboration between the two organizations. Continue reading
Fighting fire with fire: New study shows co-parasitic infections of cattle protect the animals from lethal disease
A Boran calf and girl in eastern Kenya (photo credit: ILRI/Stevie Mann). A new study of the cattle killer East Coast fever finds a protective process that may also be at work in human malaria: Infections with milder parasites may protect against severe disease. African cattle infected with a lethal parasite that kills one million … Continue reading
Despite contamination concerns, Africa must embrace ‘wet markets’ as key to food security
A new compilation of 25 studies in Africa finds that informal markets provide essential sources of food and income for millions of poor, with milk and meat that is often safer than supermarkets. Misguided efforts to control the alarming burden of food-related illnesses in low-income countries risk intensifying malnutrition and poverty — while doing little to improve food safety. Blunt crack-downs on informal milk and meat sellers that are a critical source of food and income for millions of people are not the solution. Continue reading
Sam Black on Noel Murphy, Irish geneticist gentleman scholar
Noel Murphy died on Friday 16 January 2015, leaving the world devoid of a gentleman and scholar, and his friends and family bereft of a pillar of quiet strength, wisdom and thoughtfulness. Continue reading
African Animal Annals: Deadly trifecta of climate change, population and disease?
All fine artwork on this page is by Olivia Pendergast (see note below for more information). In the last quarter of 2014 a book was published and launched on climate change and public health. Edited by Colin Butler, of the University of Canberra, and published by CABI, the book brings together 56 authors from 19 … Continue reading
UK animal health conference celebrates the lifeworks of immunologist Declan McKeever
Oct 2014 UK conference to celebrate the life’s work of Declan MKeever, former livestock immunologist at ILRAD and ILRI Continue reading
ILRI turns 40: Nairobi headquarters marks the anniversary
Highlights of the 40-year anniversary event of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) held at the institute’s headquarters in the Kabete suburb of Nairobi, Kenya, last week (1 Oct 2014). Continue reading