Category Archives: Zoonotic Diseases

Bird flu and other diseases transmitted from animals to humans

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

‘Soft’ science at ILRAD/ILRI: A lively look back at three decades of veterinary epidemiology for development
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‘Soft’ science at ILRAD/ILRI: A lively look back at three decades of veterinary epidemiology for development

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For almost thirty years, the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) then ILRI benefited from a strong research program in the epidemiological sciences. Over time, it progressively broadened its coverage in disease, disciplinary and geographic terms. The results of this work have now been assembled in this impact narrative, which carefully documents the wide range of issues addressed by the teams of researchers, and presents them in an illustrated and highly readable format. Continue reading →

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 4—Development of a field-friendly diagnostic test for MERS
Agri-Health / Diagnostics / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Epidemiology / Event Report / Human Health / ILRI / ILVAC / LIVESTOCKFISH / MERS / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 4—Development of a field-friendly diagnostic test for MERS

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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 →

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 3—The dual rise of the global livestock sector and antimicrobial resistance
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UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 3—The dual rise of the global livestock sector and antimicrobial resistance

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The second of two scientists to make a short presentation to Sir Mark Walport, the UK chief scientific adviser, on his 15 Jul 2015 visit to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya, was Tim Robinson, a livestock and spatial analysis expert. Continue reading →

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 2—’One Health’ surveillance of infectious livestock-to-human diseases
A4NH / Agri-Health / Disease Control / East Africa / Emerging Diseases / Event Report / Geodata / Human Health / ILRI / Kenya / LiveGene / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

UK chief scientific adviser visits Kenya: Part 2—’One Health’ surveillance of infectious livestock-to-human diseases

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The first scientist of two scientists to make a short presentation to Sir Mark Walport, the UK chief scientific adviser, on his 15 Jul 2015 visit to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya, was Eric Fèvre, a veterinary epidemiologist and joint appointee at ILRI and the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool. Fèvre manages several field-oriented research projects on neglected zoonoses on behalf of the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. Continue reading →

Tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century–The Lancet
A4NH / Animal Diseases / Article / Climate Change / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

Tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century–The Lancet

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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 →

Food scares: Agrifood systems everywhere need greater cooperation and investments in safer foods and farming
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Food scares: Agrifood systems everywhere need greater cooperation and investments in safer foods and farming

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An interesting, if scary, read is chapter 6 of the recently launched flagship report of IFPRI on reducing and managing food scares, co-written by Delia Grace at ILRI and John McDermott, who directs the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health, led by IFPRI. Continue reading →

One-for-all and all-for-one: Breaking down the walls between the livestock, health and environmental sectors
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One-for-all and all-for-one: Breaking down the walls between the livestock, health and environmental sectors

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In case you missed it, here is the gist of a keynote presentation on ‘one-health’ made by Jimmy Smith, the director general of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), at the 5th biennial conference of the International Association for Ecology & Health, held in Montreal, Canada, 11−15 Aug 2014. Smith’s presentation was titled: ‘Healthy people, animals and ecosystems for global food and nutritional security’. Continue reading →

African Animal Annals: Deadly trifecta of climate change, population and disease?
A4NH / Africa / Agri-Health / Bird flu / Books and Chapters / Climate Change / Disease Control / Emerging Diseases / FSZ / Human Health / ILRI / RVF / Spotlight / Zoonotic Diseases

African Animal Annals: Deadly trifecta of climate change, population and disease?

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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 →