Welcome to the 4th issue of the VPHJ!

We are pleased to share some of the articles, photos, campaigns, and information we’ve creat-

ed this year so far. We hope you use this journal edition and the links within, and share it

widely!

this issue

Forging Interdisciplinary Collaborations—One Health Workshop P.2 Stop TB Day, March 2015 P.3

IVSA SCOH Monthly Public Health Bulletin—Ebola in the animal population P.4 IVSA SCOH Monthly public Health Bulletin—Highly pathogenic avian influenza P.5

Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness P.6 Global One Health Challenge P.8

LoVPHOs, upcoming events, and internships P.9

Sarah Krones

DVM/MPH Candidate, Virginia Mary-

land College of Veterinary Medicine

(USA)

Chair, IVSA Standing Committee on One Health, 2014-15 publichealth@ivsa.org

Kari Chesney – IVSA SAVMA, Com-

munications

Micael Costa –IVSA Portugal, Re-

gional Coordinator

Laurel Eckstrand –IVSA SAVMA, Pub-

lications

Farah Jalel –IVSA Tunisia, Project

Manager

Aqil Jeenah – IVSA South Africa,

Project Manager

Jungmin Kim – IVSA South Korea,

Regional Coordinator

Yuvraj Panth –IVSA Nepal, Publica-

tions

Christopher Robinette – IVSA

SAVMA, Communications

Kasia Szymanska –IVSA Ireland, Pub-

lications

Editor

SCOH Team, 2014-2015

Veterinary Public Health Journal International Veterinary Students’ Association, Standing Committee on One Health (IVSA SCOH)

ISSUE 4, June 2015

Forging Interdisciplinary Collaborations

Following the signing of a Memo-

randum of Understanding to for-

malize their multidisciplinary col-

laboration, in August 2014, the

International Federation of Medi-

cal Students’ Associations (IFMSA)

and IVSA joined forces to develop

a 3-day One Health Workshop to

be held at the March Pre-General

Assembly (GA) of the annual

IFMSA Meeting.

The IFMSA Pre-GA was held in Istanbul, and

attracted almost 300 participants from

around the world. The One Health Workshop

participants came from South America, Asia,

Africa, and Europe. It took months of plan-

ning on the part of IVSA Chair, Sarah Krones,

Antimicrobial Resistance Day Project Manag-

er, Aqil Jeeneh, and Publications Team Mem-

ber, Kasia Szymasnka and well as Standing

Committee on Public Health, IFMSA, Direc-

tor, Skander Essafi to arrange a full schedule

of events.

Participants to the workshop came with var-

ying level of experience in One Health, but

through a range of interactive sessions, in-

cluding a mock-disease outbreak simulation,

external guest-speakers, and presentations,

there were learning opportunities for every-

one. To start off, the similarities between the

medical and veterinary profession were

showcased in a presentation called “Do you

have that too?” After introductory ground-

work was laid, a variety of one-health appli-

cations was presented from the benefits of

translational research, food-safety, the link

between human and animal abuse, as well

as antimicrobial resistance, just to name a

few topics.

Arthur Mello, the Liaison Officer for Public

Health Issues at IFMSA, spoke about the

Global One Health Challenge, a collaboration

between IFMSA, IVSA and the Global Alliance

for Rabies Control to bring awareness to

rabies control. Kornelija Maceviciute, the

Liaison Officer to Student Organizations at

IFMSA, spoke on the World Healthcare Stu-

dents’ Symposium (WHSS), which is the big-

gest international event for students in

healthcare and comprises 300 students of

medicine, pharmacy, nursing, chiropractic

and other healthcare professions that meet

in a worldwide student congress held every

two years.

One Health Workshop, Istanbul, 2015. Written by Kasia Szymanska, IVSA SCOH Publications Team

Also joining students at the

workshop was Dr. Anna Fahri-

on, a Veterinarian, and the

Technical Officer for Neglect-

ed Zoonotic Diseases at the

World Health Organization.

Dr. Rosie Burton, an infec-

tious disease specialist and

Physician for Médecins Sans

Frontières, shared her experiences work-

ing with Ebola on the frontlines on the

epidemic via a webinar.

To conclude the workshop, local medical

and veterinary students were invited, and

with the help of participants, possible

collaborations and opportunities for one

health at the local level were discussed. It

will be interesting to see how each partic-

ipant will use the information they gained

from the workshop and help to foster

interdisciplinary collaboration in their

communities.

Stop TB Day

March 2015

Together, we will not only edu-

cate, but build strong bonds

between the professions.

Create a specific plan for

collaboration between veteri-

nary, medical, and pharmaceuti-

cal students to be used now and

in future campaigns

Increase knowledge of TB as a

currently neglected infectious

disease, affecting humans and

animals.

Use the Stop TB Partnership

2014 focus on multidrug re-

sistant TB to influence our need

for multidisciplinary action.

An Events Booklet and information

for next year will be coming soon!

This campaign was the first collabora-

tion between IVSA, IPSF, and IFMSA.

Worldwide, 22 teams in 18 countries

participated: Algeria, Bulgaria, Colom-

bia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco,

Namibia, Netherlands, Nepal, Nigeria,

Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Slovenia,

South Africa, Sudan, and Sweden.

The 2015 Stop TB Day Informational

Toolkit was designed and published by

Laural Eckstrand, IVSA SCOH Publica-

tions Team. http://issuu.com/scoh/

docs/2015_stop_tb_day_--

_info_toolkit

Promotional Tuberculosis Awareness

Video - https://youtu.be/lnUlF98mrlA

Organizational goals:

IVSA SCOH monthly public health bulletin Find it on facebook.com/thescoh. By Kari Chesney, IVSA SCOH Communications Team

IVSA SCOH monthly public health bulletin Find it on facebook.com/thescoh. By Kari Chesney, IVSA SCOH Communications Team

Recent research has shown that bacteria

isolated from a soldier who died in WW1

was in fact a superbug resistant to penicillin

and other antibiotics. Antimicrobial re-

sistance like this is a natural phenomenon.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when

microorganisms have an internal error in

replication or when the traits for resistance

are exchanged between the organisms. The

misuse of antimicrobials can also accelerate

the development of resistance.

AMR is a threat because our ability to cure

common infectious diseases will be reduced,

leading to the need for stronger medication

or even the inability to cure diseases. For

example, according to the WHO, in 2012

alone there were about 450,000 new cases

of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. There

are already 10 countries where last resort

treatment for gonorrhea (third-generation

cephalosporins) has failed. Resistance has

also been a concern with malaria, HIV, and

influenza. As a direct result of AMR, we see

an increase in mortality from previously

treatable diseases, control of infectious dis-

eases becomes more complicated, and

health care costs increase. In addition, the

WHO Amtimicrobial Resistance Global Re-

port on Surveillance 2014 states, “The pipe-

line for the development of new antimicrobi-

al drugs is now virtually empty.” In fact, only

one new class of antibiotics has been devel-

oped during the past 30 years, and certain

microorganisms have developed resistance

against all antibiotics currently available.

This paints a bleak picture, but there is hope.

The International Pharmaceutical Students’

Federation (IPSF) and the International Vet-

erinary Students’ Association (IVSA) have

come together to promote the responsible

use of antimicrobials in animals and humans

and to highlight the role these two profes-

sions play in advancing health around the

world. As future professionals, we have the

responsibility to ensure that the conditions

that lead to AMR are controlled. Interpro-

fessional collaboration is of great importance

to change the landscape of AMR. The role of

pharmacists is to speak out when there is an

over-prescription of certain drugs. Veteri-

narians and medical doctors should critically

consider the use of antibiotics and base the

decision on detection of the microorganism

whenever possible.

This is a complex problem driven by

many interconnected factors. Single,

isolated interventions might have little

impact. Coordinated action is re-

quired to minimize emergence and

spread of AMR. Through the first ever

collaborative project of IVSA/IPSF for

AMR Day 2014, students shared their

views on possible ways to halt the

spread.

Throughout the activities of IVSA/IPSF

AMR Day 2014, students, as the future

of veterinary and pharmaceutical pro-

fessions, spoke out and shared their

views. It’s up to us as the future to

advance knowledge through research,

learn to be conscientious health prac-

titioners, and share information about

the dangers of AMR.

Health professionals can tackle resistance:

Spread awareness by educating the public

that AMR is a serious threat to future gen-

erations’ health

Try to diagnose a patient with culture and

sensitivity testing before giving drugs

Rationally prescribe drugs and consider

supportive care and as alternative when

appropriate

Have pharmacists intervene to prevent

inaccurate prescription

Ensure that medicine regulatory bodies

closely monitor antibiotic utilization

Follow correct hygiene guidelines when

dealing with human and animal patients

Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness

The public can tackle resistance:

Use antibiotics only when pre-

scribed by a certified health profes-

sional

Complete the full treatment

course, even if you or your pet start

to feel better

Never share antimicrobial drugs or

use leftover prescriptions

Policymakers, scientists, and industry can

tackle resistance:

Foster innovative development of

vaccines, diagnostics, and treatment

Use combination drugs that comple-

ment each other

Use antimicrobial agents in hot spot

areas of hospitals

Promote cooperation and infor-

mation sharing between stakehold-

ers

Strengthen infection control and

prevention policies

Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness

Antimicrobial resistance cannot be handled by one or the

other profession: rather, a multiprofessional approach

along with the help of governments and civil society is

needed to put AMR down!

Campaign materials and article by:

Aqil Jeenah, IVSA SCOH Project Manager; Bárbara Villela, IPSF

Chairperson of Public Health; Lara-Turiya Seitz, IPSF Medicine

Awareness Coordinator; and many others

Global One Health Challenge World Rabies Day competition, September

2014

The first Global One Health Challenge, a

competition for veterinary and medical stu-

dents all over the world, was organized by

the International Federation of Medical Stu-

dents’ Association, the International Veteri-

nary Students’ Association and the Global

Alliance for Rabies Control on the occasion

of the 8th annual World Rabies Day on Sep-

tember 28th, 2014.

Our goals for this project were to:

Increase visibility and awareness of the

roles of veterinarians and physicians in

rabies prevention

Increase local public awareness of ra-

bies prevention

Encourage involvement of medical and

veterinary universities on World Rabies

Day

Build relationships between medical and

veterinary students and their communi-

ties

One Health Challenge winners attend Glob-

al One Health conference

A team of veterinary and medical students

from St George’s University, Grenada, partic-

ipated in the World Medical Associa-

World Veterinary Association Global Confer-

ence on One Health in Madrid, Spain, May

21-22, 2015.

The trip, funded by World Animal

Protection, was the award for win-

ning the first Global One Health Chal-

lenge,

Winning

Team

Global Alliance for Rabies

Control

See more information about this

amazing partner and their programs,

including an article about the Chal-

lenge, at: http://rabiesalliance.org/

media/news/grenada-team-wins-

global-one-health-

challenge#sthash.EYPfG5PN.dpuf

All 28 inspiring entries from

17 countries across the

world can be viewed as a

slideshow: https://

www.youtube.com/watch?

v=SUk6OF-_x34

The Events Booklet will be

coming soon!

St. George’s Univer-

sity, Grenada

Tackling Rabies: One

Island at a Time

https://youtu.be/

WMEFeA1srRA

IVSA 64th Congress, July/August 2015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

6th World Healthcare Students’ Symposium, 17-22 November 2015, Skopje,

Macedonia

FAO Internship Programme:

http://www.fao.org/employment/current-vacancies/opportunities-for-

students-and-young-graduates/internship-programme/en/

Wildlife Institute Externships:

http://www.wildlife-institute.com/courses/

Internships

IVSA Standing Committee on One Health (SCOH)

Copenhagen, Denmark

Www.ivsa.org

www.facebook.com/thescoh

https://twitter.com/ivsascoh

www.issuu.com/scoh (SCOH’s Publications)

publichealth@ivsa.org

Upcoming Events

If you are interested in One Health:

Veterinary Public Health Journal

Issue 4, June 2015

1. Be your chapter’s LoVPHO! What should a LoVPHO do? 2. Join the Facebook page!

3. Run for SCOH next term!

4. Write an article for the VPH Journal!

5. Plan an activity for World Rabies Day,

September 2015. More information com-

ing soon.