Category Archives: Human Health

Human Health

Limiting use of antibiotics in livestock production to stem growing antimicrobial resistance in human pathogens
A4NH / Agri-Health / AMR / Article / CCAFS / Consumption / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Human Health / HUMIDTROPICS / ILRI / Opinion Piece / Policy / SLS / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

Limiting use of antibiotics in livestock production to stem growing antimicrobial resistance in human pathogens

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A commentary published in The Lancet last month supporting a series of five papers on antimicrobials recommends prohibiting use of antibiotics critically important for human medicine to promote the growth of livestock or to prevent routine livestock disease. The commentary was written by Tim Robinson, a principal scientist in spatial analysis at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and colleagues in partner organizations. Continue reading →

Is the ‘Third Epidemiological Transition’ upon us?
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Diseases / Article / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Intensification / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

Is the ‘Third Epidemiological Transition’ upon us?

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Zoonoses—diseases transferred from animals to humans—have been with humanity throughout history. But today’s growing scale of livestock production in developing countries to feed their fast-growing and fast-urbanizing populations is sparking debate about whether the livestock sector is contributing to a fundamental a shift in global disease mortality, something known as an ‘epidemiological transition’. If so, it would be the third such transition in human history. Continue reading →

A couple of ‘missings’ for the Paris climate talks
CCAFS / Climate Change / Communications / Consumption / Directorate / Environment / Human Health / ILRI / ILRIComms / Livestock / Opinion Piece / Policy / Pro-Poor Livestock / SLS / Spotlight

A couple of ‘missings’ for the Paris climate talks

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In the days leading up to the start of the climate change talks in Paris (COP21) this week (30 Nov–11 Dec 2015), we at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have been busy responding to recent articles in the press advocating that ‘the world’ eat less meat to reduce greenhouse gases and other livestock ‘bads’. … Continue reading →

Aflatoxin levels in cow milk and feed in the Addis Ababa milk shed—New study
A4NH / Aflatoxins / Agri-Health / Animal Feeding / Article / Cattle / Consumption / Dairying / Disease Control / East Africa / Ethiopia / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Spotlight

Aflatoxin levels in cow milk and feed in the Addis Ababa milk shed—New study

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Ethiopian farmer with fresh milk from her cow (photo credit: ILRI/Apollo Habtamu). This article is written by ILRI scientists Dawit Gizachew, Barbara Szonyi, Azage Tegegne, Jean Hanson and Delia Grace Editor’s note: A statement in the article below, comparing various levels of risk, offended some of our readers. We thank those readers who let us … Continue reading →

New study recommends continued research on the possible role pigs could play in transmitting Ebola in Uganda
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Food Safety / FSZ / Geodata / Human Health / ILRI / Pigs / Spotlight / Uganda

New study recommends continued research on the possible role pigs could play in transmitting Ebola in Uganda

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A new risk assessment paper, Assessing the potential role of pigs in the epidemiology of the Ebola virus in Uganda, was published in the science journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases on 27 Aug 2015. The authors are scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Presently, there is no solid evidence that pigs have any role in the past outbreaks of Ebola virus disease. But the risk assessment paper indicates that further research on the role pigs may play in Ebola virus transmission in Uganda is warranted. Continue reading →

Ways forward for food safety in countries bearing the brunt of the world’s food-borne diseases
A4NH / Agri-Health / Article / Consumption / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Markets / Policy / Spotlight

Ways forward for food safety in countries bearing the brunt of the world’s food-borne diseases

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A new paper on food safety in low- and middle-income countries was published today by ILRI’s Delia Grace. The paper is based on a longer learning resource commissioned for the UK Department for International Development (DFID), which will be out shortly. Both publications reflect what ILRI and its partners have learned over the last 10 years since adopting a framework of risk analysis for assessing, managing and communicating about food safety. Continue reading →

Bridging ‘biobanking’ and biomedical research across Europe and Africa: ‘B3Africa’ launched in Cape Town
Africa / Biodiversity / Biotechnology / Disease Control / Europe / Event / Geodata / Human Health / ILRI / LiveGene / LIVESTOCKFISH / Project / Spotlight

Bridging ‘biobanking’ and biomedical research across Europe and Africa: ‘B3Africa’ launched in Cape Town

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The first meeting of a new project, ‘B3Africa, short for ‘Bridging Biobanking and Biomedical Research across Europe and Africa’, was held this week (24–25 Aug 2015) at the University of the Western Cape, in Cape Town, South Africa. Continue reading →

Towards professionalizing—not criminalizing—informal sellers of milk and meat in poor countries
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Products / Capacity Strengthening / Consumption / Dairying / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Markets / Policy / Report / Spotlight

Towards professionalizing—not criminalizing—informal sellers of milk and meat in poor countries

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Researchers from ILRI and partners have developed and piloted an institutional innovation—a training, certification and branding scheme for informal value chain actors—with good potential to improve the safety of animal-source foods sold in informal markets. Past development policy often focused on formal markets, which at best meant neglect of informal markets and often resulted in harassment and penalties for informal agents. Continue reading →

Reducing human exposure to aflatoxins in poor countries: Towards new technologies and practices
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Products / Consumption / Dairying / Food Safety / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Report / Spotlight / Value Chains

Reducing human exposure to aflatoxins in poor countries: Towards new technologies and practices

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A new paper describes and assesses the strength of a theory of change for how adoption of farm-level technologies and practices for aflatoxin mitigation can contribute to reductions in aflatoxin exposure among consumers in a market context. Continue reading →

Designing practical ways to help the urban poor make choices that improve their nutrition
A4NH / Agri-Health / Animal Products / Consumption / East Africa / Epidemiology / Food Safety / FSZ / Gender / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / Nutrition / Project / Spotlight / Vulnerability / Women

Designing practical ways to help the urban poor make choices that improve their nutrition

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To improve interventions in food systems of the urban poor, scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are investigating urban food and nutritional choices in two slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Their aim is to develop interventions that help people make food choices that improve their nutrition while staying within their low household food budgets and access. Continue reading →