VPH Journal 6th edition

VPH Journal 6th edition 1

6th Veterinary Public Health Journal by the International Veterinary Students Association, IVSA

UPDATE: Zika virus Interview withDr. Bernadette Abela-Ridder - World Health Organization (WHO)

Veterinarians, One Health and the nexus between disease and food se-curity - Prof. Robyn Alders

IN THIS EDITIONIN THIS EDITION


ZIKA VIRUS:

the new bug around the block

Veterinarians, One Health and the nexus between disease and food security

Interview with Dr. Patricia Conrad Professor of Parasitology, Associate Dean for Global Programs in the School of Veterinary Medicine...

Journal

VPH Journal 6th edition

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INTERVIEW withDr. Bernadette Abela-RidderTeam Leader for Neglected Zoonotic Diseases in the Department for the Control of Neglected Topical Diseases, World Health Organization (WHO)

Journal


Caroline Bulstra Lawal Temitope

Dear all,

A couple of weeks ago I saw an article popping up on my LinkedIn titled “Zika virus – 7 FAQS about a new bug around the block”. It was posted in the AIM Infectious Disease Group by Dr. Amina Goodwin-Fernandez. I clicked on the link out of curiosity and thought: is this another emerging or re-emerging disease?

There are many emerging and re-emerging diseases present on our globe, like Lassa Fever for example. This is a viral hemorrhagic zoonotic disease that is re-emerging in Nigeria. It was first reported in Lassa Town, BornoState, Nigeria in 1969. The recent outbreak of Lassa fever was around December 2015 and since then it hasspread to about five states across Nigeria.

This edition of the IVSA Veterinary Public Health Journal covers vector borne and food borne diseases comingfrom an animal source and affecting animals and humans. Climate change has influence on the rate ofsurvivability of vectors, which has increased greatly due to global travels and global changes in the use of landand this way they can bring diseases to new, susceptible populations. Like the influence of El Nino on the Ae-des mosquito that transmits Zika, Chikungunya and Dengue and ticks being able to survive in more northernAfrican countries and that way able to introduce Theileria parva in cattle in new regions.

A nice way of looking at diseases and their impact on public health is by looking at the five W’s: Who – the host,Where – the environment affected, When – pattern of occurrence; What – etiologic agents and Why –determine why a disease affects some people in the population and not others, which is the ultimate goal ofpublic health.

I hope you enjoy this edition!

Best Regards,

Lawal Temitope

Publications Team member - Standing Committee on One Health (SCOH) 2015-2016


The VPH Journal is edited and published by the Standing Committee on One Health (SCOH), part of the International Veterinary

Students Association (IVSA).

6th editionFebruary 2016

SCOH 2015-2016

Chair Elizabeth Malcolm

Official MemberTaylor Calloway

Publications TeamCaroline BulstraLawal Temitope

Regional CoordinatorSungil Kim

Policy Statement Liaison OfficerGiorgos Polyzois

Project ManagersClara Buxbaum

Claudine Girardo

Webmaster/Social Media DirectorMathijs Knipscheer


In this issue

6

7

9

12INTERVIEW with Dr. BERNADETTE ABELA-RIDDER

Team Leader for Neglected Zoonotic Diseases in the Department

of Control of Neglected Topical Diseases, World Health

Organization (WHO)

VECTOR BORNE DISEASES

By Bolajoko Muhammad-Bashir

Epidemiology Unit, National Veterinary Research Institute,

Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria

STOP TB DAY 2016 - FLYER

PREVENTION AND SCREENING OF TUBERCULOSIS

INTERVIEW with Dr. PATRICIA CONRAD

Professor of Parasitology, Associate Dean for Global Programs at the Uni-

versity of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine

16

19

RE-EMERGING DISEASE UPDATE

ZIKA VIRUS: “THE NEW BUG AROUND THE BLOCK”

Claudine Girardo, IVSA Lyon, France

Caroline Bulstra, IVSA Utrecht, The Netherlands

INTERNSHIP at the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION:

TWO VET STUDENTS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES

Joss Kessels & Gabriel Innes


22

26

30

33

37

INTERVIEW with

Dr. Barbara Haesler - One Health lecturer and researcher at the Royal

Veterinary College (RVC)

Maria Garza - MSc One Health gratuate Royal Veterinary College

SCOVE WRITING CHALLENGE WINNER: Yuvraj Panth from Nepal

Standing Committee on Veterinary Education, (SCOVE) IVSA

As a veterinary student: How can you contribute to public education

on improving the welfare of stray animals?

Veterinarians, One Health and the nexus

between disease and food security

Associate Prof. Robyn Alders, Faculty of Veterinary Science and

Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Australia

IVSA at the WHO 138th session of the Executive Board

Caroline Bulstra, SCOH

Student at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University,

The Netherlands

44

RMBDs: Raw meat diets and consequences

Giorgos Polyzois, SCOH Liaison Officer

IVSA Thessaloniki, 3rd Year, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

ONE HEALTH JOBS:

Epke le Rutte

Veterinarian working in Human Public Health

TRAVELING AND ZOONOSIS

Skrekas Chrysovalantis

IVSA Thessaloniki, Greece

41


STOP TB DAY 2016

Stop TB Day is coming up on March 24th

Join us in our campaign withyour own local project to raiseawareness and to fight togetherto stop tuberculosis!Create a campaign with localmembers from IFMSA, IPSF &IVSA on the topic of Preventionand Screening of Tuberculosis

This year, the international medical, pharmaceutical, and veterinarystudent associations are working together against Tuberculosis!

How can you getinvolved?

Want more information?cIFMSA: Jozo Schmuch, [email protected]

IPSF: Mac Ardy J. Gloria, [email protected]: Elizabeth Malcolm, [email protected]

"Prevention & Screening of TB"


RE-EMERGING DISEASE:

Zika virusClaudine Girardo, IVSA Lyon, France

Project Manager, Standing Committee on One Health

Caroline Bulstra, IVSA Utrecht, The Netherlands

Publications Team, Standing Committee on One Health

2016 has started with a new worldwide health alert, about Zika virus. The issue has already been fully addres-

sed in the media, but a brief presentation should refresh our memories.

Zika is a virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits dengue and chikungunya. Only one in

four people develop symptoms, including mild fever, conjunctivitis, headache, joint pain and skin rash. Compli-

cations are very rare. The main concern is that Zika virus can cause microcephaly in babies of mothers who got

infected while pregnant. A major health concern can be feared, since the global population is poorly immunized

against the virus, the geographical distribution of the vector is large and no vaccines or specific treatments are

available. That is why the World Health Organization (WHO) is being particularly active on this matter.

Why is Zika important to us, as vet students and future veterinarians? It does not seem obvious at first sight,

as Zika virus only seems to affect human health. When we have a closer look at the history of the virus, it gets

even more relevant. Researchers accidentally isolated the virus in 1947 from monkeys living in the Zika forest

in Uganda, while investigating mosquitoes for yellow fever. In the years after, it spread across Africa and then

further to Asia. Nowadays, the infection is widespread among monkeys and humans.

The current outbreak started in May 2015, when physicians reported cases of skin rash and fever in Brazil. Less

than a year later, there are 23 Latin American countries that have been reporting cases of Zika virus. To address this


disease the WHO aims at increasing surveillance and measurements for vector control, for instance by li-

miting open water sources. Environmental experts play their part in that task by assessing the impact of El

Niño in the development of mosquito populations. El Niño is a meteorological phenomenon causing severe

drought, flooding, rains and temperature rises, which can lead to an increase of the mosquito population.

Collaboration between veterinarians and environmental experts is also represented by the contribution of

the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). With its veterinary and environmental background, the FAO

already has great experience dealing with vector borne diseases. The organization knows how to lead a pro-

gram including rational insecticides treatment, which takes into account human and environmental health.

The two organizations are on top of controlling the Zika virus outbreak and try to decrease the number of new

Zika cases to a minimum.

From our perspective, it appears as a good illustration of using the One Health approach, strengthening inter-

disciplinary collaboration among human health, animal health and environmental health. In the case of Zika

virus this collaboration is needed to create efficient prevention and control strategies and hopefully will show

how applying the One Health approach can help addressing certain disease outbreaks.

Resources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), http://www.cdc.gov/

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), http://www.fao.org

ProMED-mail, http://www.promedmail.org/

World Health Organization (WHO), http://who.int/en/

http://www.cdc.gov/

http://www.fao.org

http://www.promedmail.org/

http://who.int/en/


Alexander the Great, the well known and history

acclaimed conqueror of many nations, was van-

quished only by the bite of a tiny vector - mosquito

bearing malaria parasites in the marshes of what is

presently called Iraq.

Vectors are living organisms with capabilities to

transmit infectious diseases between humans

or from animals to humans. Most vectors are

bloodsucking insects that ingest disease-producing

micro-organisms during a blood meal from an in-

fected host (whether human or animal) and later

inject them into a new host during their next blood

meal. The most popular disease vectors are the

mosquitoes; others include some species of ticks,

flies, sandflies, fleas, bugs and freshwater snails.

Essentially, vector-borne diseases have been the

group of illnesses scourging man and animals since

the beginning of time. Going back in time, these are

the same illnesses that caused the 14th Century’s

Black Death plague in Europe and the epidemics

of yellow fever that scourged the development of

the New World. And others, such as the “Nagana”,

which was dubbed as the major factor that slowed

the development in Africa for so many years. Yet,

at the turn of the 20th Century, vector-borne disea-

ses are still among the most threatening public and

animal health problems in the world. Gubler (2009),

concluded that the global trends in the changes in

animal husbandry, urbanisation, transportation

and globalisation, are responsible for the present

global re-emergence of epidemic vector-borne di-

seases affecting both humans and animals.

According to the WHO, presently, one sixth of the

diseases suffered worldwide is due to vector-borne

diseases and approximately half of the global po-

pulation is at risk of these diseases especially the

poorest members of the society and least-develo-

ped countries. This is because amongst these po-

pulations the living conditions are poor, with lack

of access to adequate housing, safe drinking water

and sanitation.

VECTOR BORNE DISEASESBy Bolajoko Muhammad-BashirEpidemiology Unit, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria


Vector-borne diseases amongst human populati-

ons can be caused by different kinds of pathogens.

The pathogens transmitted by vectors include vi-

ruses, rickettsia, bacteria, protozoa and helminths.

Among the viruses transmitted by vectors are yel-

low fever, dengue fever, rift valley fever and the

encephalides. The transmitted protozoans include

Babesia spp, Plasmodium spp, Leishmania spp, Try-

panosoma spp and the helminths that are transmit-

ted are Wuchereria bancrofti, Onchocerca volvulus

and Loa loa for example.

Around the world, people are highly at risk of viral

and bacterial transmission by mosquitoes, ticks,

fleas and other vectors. The rate of increase in risk is

now on the highest rate ever, partly because of the

increase of international travels and global changes

in the use of land. Nowadays, we are witnessing an

increasing risk of old and new vector-borne patho-

gens that are not stopped by national or internati-

onal boundaries. More so, it is particularly difficult

to predict, prevent or control vector-borne disea-

ses; for example, mosquitoes and ticks are noto-

riously difficult to reach and often develop resistan-

ce to available insecticides. In addition to these

complexities, nearly all vector-borne pathogens are

zoonotic.

Now more than ever, is the time to utilize the full

potential available for vector control for a sustaina-

ble and large-scale control of vector-borne disea-

ses. WHO recommends a couple of interventions

to prevent and control vector-borne diseases, some

of which are more pertinent than others depending

on the following factors: the local ecology and be-

haviour of the vector species - including its habi-

tats, flight range, feeding preferences and seasons;

the local epidemiology of the diseases; human ac-

tivities such as irrigation and animal farming; the

socioeconomic conditions and cultural context of

the affected communities; feasibility of applying in-

terventions that will be acceptable to the populace

in specific settings; and last but not the least is the

need for sustainable management of the environ-

mental by all and sundry in time and space.

A sustainable and cost-effective long-term vector

control and disease elimination requires strong

and well-funded national or international control

programmes as the situation demands. This can be

achieved by instituting and entrenching a compre-

hensive national and regional strategies that will be

supported by a close collaboration among partners

in the global public health community. Further-

more, a technical guideline for control should be

set out with clearly delineated standard operating

procedures, which are to be ethically and efficiently

monitored and evaluated to ensure its success and

sustainability.

Essentially, environmental management such as

modification or manipulation of the environment in

addition to changes to human habitation and/

or behaviour is needed. It will be a long way to-

wards achieving a way for sustainable control

“A sustainable and cost-effective long-term vector control and disease elimi-nation requires strong and well-fun-ded national or international control programmes”


of vectors and in turn prevent the diseases they

bear. Also, the government, legislatures, resear-

chers and all stakeholders need to work hand in

hand on their policies and laws respectively, in

order to improve on water supply, support incre-

ased expertise in vector control and surveillan-

ce, solid waste management to reduce vectors’

breeding habitats and a sustainable use of chemi-

cals by both government and the general public.

Bibliography:

Lavelle, J.M., 2013. CDC Fact Sheet on Vector Bor-

ne Diseases. A publication of the CDC’s Division

of Vector-Borne Diseases.

Dickson Despommier, 2005. Vector Borne

Infectious Diseases.

WHO, 2014. A global brief on vector borne -

diseases. A publication of the world health

organization; WHO/DCO/WHD/2014.1

Gubler, D.J., 2009. Vector - borne diseases. Rev.

sci. tech. Off. int. Epiz., 28 (2), 583 - 588.

Mosquito Zone Corporation, 2009. Vector borne

diseases.

Tel.: +2348038298072.

Email: [email protected]


INTERVIEW with

Dr. Bernadette Abela-Ridder

After Kenya we moved to Austria and I started studying

Veterinary Medicine, in German, so that was a challen-

ge. As a student working behind the scene and following

graduation I worked with one of the best veterinarians in

Vienna. Slowly I realized, I would like to follow my dream

and work beyond small animal clinical practice. I con-

tinued working in clinical practice to be able to finance

my advanced studies while I applied for other opportu-

nities. I then pursued a PhD at the University of Vienna

and a one-year master in University of Edinburgh at the

Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine. That opened my

path to international health development. For my thesis I

worked on the epidemiology and the brucellosis eradica-

tion programme in Malta, where Brucella Melitensis was

first discovered by David Bruce. This work was my ticket

to the Food and Agriculture Organization in 1996 where I

started on a short-term contract with the Animal Health

Section. The next two and a half years I worked partly for

FAO and then moved to Gabon after getting married be-

cause my husband was working there and we moved to

Cameroon together. Here I started working on a project

of the Institute for Research for Development of France

(IRD), on simian immunodeficiency viruses and HIV. My

main task was to map viruses coming out of the wild from

non-human primates that complicate the HIV pandemic

and carry out HIV awareness campaigns in these very re-

mote settings. So I was working in the bush, tracking pri-

mates, tracking bush meat and pet primates (the babies

By Caroline Bulstra - Standing Committee on One Health

During the WHO 138th session of the Executive Board in Ja-

nuary I had a chance to interview Dr. Bernadette Abela-Rid-

der. She is a veterinarian born in Malta and she lived and

worked in many different countries worldwide. Currently,

she works for the World Health Organization as the team

leader for Neglected Zoonotic Diseases in the Department

for the Control of Neglected Topical Diseases, with respon-

sibility for rabies control.

1. You studied Veterinary Medicine and worked in

clinical practice at the start of your career. Can you tell

us about your career path and where your affinity for

veterinary public health (VPH) started?

My passion for Veterinary Public Health started during

my adolescence, growing up in Kenya. Seeing the won-

derful biodiversity, but also the poverty and people de-

pending on their animals for livelihoods. At the age of 10

years old I decided I wanted to become a vet. It was the

interest for development, animal and human health and

better lives that fascinated me and I think that has carried

me through till now.

Where I am now, as a team leader for the Zoonotic Ne-

glected Tropical Diseases, I work at the nexus of deve-

lopment, human and animal health and this is where

I want to be. Of course it was a long way getting there.

Team Leader for Neglected Zoonotic Diseases in the Department of Control of

Neglected Topical Diseases, World Health Organization (WHO)


of bush meat sold as pets), working alongside medical

staff within communities; it was a fascinating experience.

Next I moved to the US where I worked for the US Food

and Drug Administration in Washington. My work was on

AMR, which was a very different and new subject 15 years

ago - compared to now. I knew I needed to go back to

the international context eventually, but this became an

important stepping-stone for the next step in my career

Over the starting years I gathered experience in the clini-

cal setting, in the field, in research and then in policy and

standard setting at a national government level, which

subsequently brought me to my current position at the

World Health Organization.

2. Why did you choose to join World Health Organi-

zation (WHO) initially?

WHO is the lead technical UN agency in public health.

WHO is a member organisation and has the ability to im-

pact the health and well-being of people through techni-

cal, policy setting and political pathways. WHO can make

a difference through working with its member states and

partners: we can see this for example of effort into rabies

elimination, worked closely with the partners and we’-

re seeing the change. We are starting to see that some

countries are willing to start serious elimination pro-

grams and this will attract/influence other countries to do

the same when they see that it is feasible to stop humans

from dying from this dreadful disease. The partners have

different roles and responsibilities and together we can

coordinate and organise ourselves to work efficiently to-

wards our vision of rabies elimination. So we can make a

change.

WHO has convening power; it’s a way of bringing and

using the best evidence and expertise to tackle health

problems; in the end leading to people with better health

and better lives, because that is our focus. What moti-

vates me is that my work is not all about writing the next

paper, but the aspiration that it is saving people’s lives

especially children from a terrible diseases like rabies or

other zoonotic diseases. There is still need for significant

investment to catalyse more work to be considered at

the human-animal-environmental interface.

People share their environment with other people and

animals; they have many problems, many existential.

Working in silos does not always achieve the best re-

sults and it is of utmost importance to make the linkages

across the different sectors to get the best impact on the

ground. We need to have that collaboration to address

the bigger picture. As we proceed in engaging different

groups to work together for better efficiencies, we need

to also document the results of applying the One Health

approach so that we build a solid evidence base.

If you look at recent research on burden of foodborne di-

seases, it shows you that the endemic diseases actually


cause the largest burden on human health and economic

burden and so we should be putting more attention on

this. Food security is of major importance in our world.

Food security is access to enough and to safe food, so

it has a component of food safety in it. Again there is a

big role to be played on endemic diseases, because it is

not always influenza or other emerging infectious disea-

ses that cause the largest losses in populations. We need

to put more emphasis on thinking about those endemic

problems. If you have a system of surveillance and of

response to endemic diseases, that is building systems

within communities and countries and those systems can

actually be the alert systems for picking up something ab-

normal, even if they are set up for other diseases. These

systems involve especially veterinary services and human

health services but also others like water and sanitation.

So that is why we need to be always clear that system

strengthening is so important.

3. The WHO is a huge international organization

with many different work areas. What are your main

activities at WHO and how does your background as a

vet assist you in this?

At WHO I started working on food safety and zoonoses

and was the liaison between WHO, FAO and OIE on zoon-

otic outbreaks. I led the Global Early Warning System

(GLEWS) at WHO, worked on food safety and coordina-

ted the Global Foodborne Infections Network (GFN) and

from there I moved to my current position 2,5 years ago.

I think it is so important as a vet to do some hands-on

work after graduating, before working for an organisati-

on such as WHO. This provides a basic understanding, to

know how to diagnose animals and how to approach them

and how to work with animal owners. Even in my current

position working on endemic zoonoses it is so useful to

have that experience, for example in rabies elimination to

know the behaviour of dogs and how to approach them. It

is very important to have that clinical exposure and I think

that, as a vet, it is really important to gain that experience

before you jump into something where you are more or

less at a desk job.

4. At the moment the WHO 138th session of the

Executive Board (EB) takes place here in Geneva. Which

agenda items are of most interest to you as the team

leader of the Neglected Zoonotic Diseases?

There is nothing speaking directly to the zoonotic NTDs.

There are definitely members of the Executive Board who

are here that are interested in this topic. Many discussi-

ons occur outside the meeting room of the EB and this is

a great opportunity to meet the representatives of those

countries where work is ongoing or intended. A lot of the

reforms are translated into our daily work. We have six

regions and HQ and often it is challenging to streamline

coordination between them and countries. Discussions

on reform have a direct impact on the way we work on an

everyday basis.

The pest control part of the Zika epidemic response is un-

der the main responsibility of the NTD department. Other

departments are responsible for outbreak response and

surveillance of microcephaly. There is a lot of discussion

not only within EB, but also outside of the EB talking about

how to improve the evidence on Zika virus and what should

be developed as tools to stop the disease from spreading

further. The Executive Board sets the agenda for the Wor-

ld Health Assembly (WHA) in May and we were hoping to

get a rabies resolution coming through in the next year or

two. There are some interested countries and they hope

to take it through their regional committees which are the

governing bodies of the WHO regions. So we really hope

there is going to be some movement on that.


5. Which accomplishments or actions in the field of

VPH would you like to see being made in the foreseea-

ble future?

At a training level students are speaking across the levels

and that is of major importance. It is about T-shaped ex-

pertise: the long leg is for the depth of your knowledge

and you specific expertise for example veterinary medici-

ne, but you also need that horizontal part of the T, stan-

ding for the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration

and speaking to others, sharing knowledge. Improving

that T-shaped expertise and taking that in to the work

environment and into practice is one of the main things

we need to do. How can One Health be translated in day-

to-day? One Health often remains something rather ne-

bulous, how do we get such a concept into structures and

budgets and operational planning more efficiently? There

are nice examples coming out of food safety and animal

human risk assessments based on human health, animal

health, climate change and trade. The different parts co-

ming together like in a puzzle. People will start to apply

this concept on a day-to-day and it will become automa-

tic rather than the exception.

Where do we want to go with veterinary public health?

Not only focussing on epidemics, but also looking at whe-

re the impact is on production and on people. Looking at

development of practical and affordable tools that will

help us in disease control programs e.g. removing the

cold chain or the booster dose for vaccines, penside tests

for screening of disease. We need to try to look at things

holistically. We have an eradication program on Guinea

worm and now we are at one of the last stages. There are

only between 20 and 30 human cases left in Africa, but

dogs are maintaining the cycle in some environments.

Pre-empting these hurdles and preparing strategies at

the onset will help reduce the risk of failure. There is so

much we can learn from different sectors and so much to

do and it’s about translating this knowledge into practice.

We have lots of research findings, but how do you imple-

ment them into the everyday routines. It is important that

students join forces and get out there as a community to

contribute to accumulating solid research data that can

be the foundation of evidence that could motivate policy

change. There is a role for everybody - from the students

all the way up to the international organisations.

6. There are a lot of vet students out there that de-

sire to work for WHO or for other interesting organiza-

tions in the field of (veterinary) public health. Is there

a last message you would like to give to them?

Get some taste of what we do by doing internships or get

exposure to work at the field stations and with NGOs,

with pharmaceutical companies or foundations. It is pro-

bably best not to target a job at an international orga-

nization as your first station for work. Build a little bit of

experience so that when you come to an international or-

ganisation you have accumulated exposure, experience

and bring fresh, new ideas. It is not directly need to be in

the field of veterinary public health at first. Look for op-

portunities that give you that exposure, through further

education, through working in different jobs to get an un-

derstanding of the complexity of things. Don’t be shy and

put your CV’s in. I also would suggest veterinary students

to think more with a business mind, because a lot of what

drives the livestock communities is the business aspect.

What will farmers speak for? Understanding the dollar

sign is really important.

That wider exposure is of great importance to get an un-

derstanding of the dynamics that have an influence on

VPH and the so many different ways to find solutions to

problems from different angles.


Internship at the WHO:

Two vet students share their

experiences

Interview with Joss Kessels

School of Veterinary Science

University of Queensland, Australia

Why an internship at World Health Organization (WHO)?

I’ve always been interested in the big picture. My mum is a vet, and growing up I loved helping out at our clinic at home.

I was also interested in foreign cultures and international development, and spent a year on student exchange and ano-

ther year travelling before starting international relations type study. It was interesting, but the talk didn’t feel tangible.

Towards the end of my first year, I was struck with the realisation that health is an absolutely essential and tangible way

to improve people’s lives.

I changed to veterinary science, and went to South America for 3 months before starting. This really reinforced how im-

portant animals are to peoples health and livelihoods, especially in communities where they live close together, and are

a major source of income or wealth. In 2nd year, I did a research project in the US in epidemiology, but with an economic

bent. It was interesting to get a taste of the economic aspect of health, because it’s underacknowledged. The people that

know a lot about health and are doing great research are not necessarily talking to the people that make decisions about

health, or fund them, or implement them on the ground.

Bridging that gap is something I am passionate about. Rabies is the perfect example! It’s a disease that more than 59,000

people around the world die from every year, and one that’s preventable at multiple levels. We have the knowledge and

every piece of technology that we need to tackle this disease and still so many people die from it every year, because they

live in rural areas and do not have the financial resources or access to preventative measures. I want to bridge the gap

between what we have the potential to do, the technology that we have and the science that we have, and how this is put

into practice at a political level (like implementing national disease prevention programs), at an economic level (getting

money to fund these actions) and on the ground (how these filter down to impact day to day life).


What are your main tasks at WHO?

One of my main projects has been to draft what would constitute a stimulus package to kick-start rabies prevention

programs in endemic regions. The WHO and OIE are collaborating to develop this. You could imagine it as a box that

would be offered to a country or region where rabies is endemic, that gives them material tools to combat rabies: like

vaccines for dogs, vaccines for humans, animal handling equipment and training and awareness materials. And tech-

nical support to help things along. The oustanding idea is to start a small project that will build gradually, be succes-

sful, and that could be expanded into neighbouring regions or sustained as a national program. Specifically what I am

working on at the moment is a draft document that outlines why it would be necessary, what it would involve and that

presents the different components the package should have in an attractive and compelling way. Actually though, our

unit works incredibly hard on a whole range of things, and this is just one example of the work they do.

Did this internship changed the way you look at veterinary public health and WHO?

I wasn’t expecting it, but I became fascinated by how policy is made and implemented. We need to present health issues

(and solutions!) in a way that somebody who doesn’t work in health (like an economist or politician) can understand,

recognise the importance of, and act upon. I need to get a better understanding of how those sectors work, to be able

to work with them better in the future.

As for WHO, it was fantastic to gain insight into the multiple roles it performs. It’s a powerful advocate for health, and in

our department especially for diseases affecting poor or rural populations (who may have little say, but often bear the

greatest burden of disease). It’s a convenor of experts and stakeholders, bringing them together and channeling their

cumulative knowledge and power towards strategic goals. It operates with integrity. It takes time to critically evaluate

the available evidence and put together guidelines and strategies to confront complex problems, but when WHO says

something, it carries weight, and this has the power to move mountains. And the word ‘organisation’ is so broad; at an

operational level, at least in my experience, WHO is comprised of incredibly passionate, skilled and inspiring individuals,

working tirelessly to improve health outcomes around the world. And that was wonderful to experience.


Interview with Gabriel Innes

Penn Vet School

University of Pennsylvania,

United States

I initially chose to become a veterinarian because, like so many of us in the profession, I had an innate feeling and affi-

nity towards helping animals. That feeling was and is still intangible. At that point in my life, the capacity for which I felt

this drive was incomprehensible. I started exploring the many facets of veterinary medicine. I started exposing myself

to small animal medicine, and then eventually started becoming immersed in the dairy industry. This experience was

fortified in China. I spent 2 months on a Chinese dairy in Beijing, learning about practices and methods that they use and

compare it to the ones used back home in the USA. This experience also gave me insight into occupational health, and

more broadly global public health. I wanted to understand how change was created and enforced, and found myself

working at the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy. Though I was not working in the field at FAO, I found

myself making significant strides in gaining a complete picture of the effects of rabies, specifically in Latin America. My

experience with rabies opened up doors to other organizations, namely the USDA and WHO. At WHO, I am currently

committing myself to updating the Global Health Observatory for two diseases: rabies and leptospirosis. I am also for-

tunate enough to work in an environment that allows me to work on a number of other projects and allow me to meet

people in a variety of other departments. This is truly a great experience.

From here I plan on working towards a PhD in the areas of environmental health and epidemiology. The PhD will give

me insight into the environmental piece of the tripartite puzzle, which leaves me the last facet: human health, which I

plan to acquire through epidemiological training. However, where I will end up remains a mystery. I am under the im-

pression that there are "pillars of change" that I have categorized into four categories: government, advocacy, acade-

mia, and industry. Though most of my experience is in the government and industry pillars, I plan on gaining experience

and perspective in the academia and advocacy sections, which I will hope to accomplish during my PhD candidacy and

beyond.


Therefore, it seemed highly beneficial to pose some key

questions to her concerning One Health.

1. What does the phrase “One Health” mean to you?

One Health is an approach to global health that takes into

consideration the interconnectedness between animals,

humans and the environment that they share… to me it is

that simple.

2. How have you incorporated One Health into your

career?

I was taking a One Health approach to a lot of problems,

particularly in my research, long before One Health was a

term applied to this approach. I believe a lot of people have

done the same. I do think the term or label is a very useful

one to strike-up a conversation to explain what this rather

complex system approach is about. One Health has been a

part of my perspective since I was a veterinary student and

is the major reason I fell in love with research.

I actually did not want to complete a PhD after veterinary

school. Even though I had a desire to solve problems, I did

not find the lab-based focus with one person working on

one parasite appealing. I said, not for me, not this research

thing! I wanted to be an equine surgeon or mixed practice

veterinarian and be around more people and animals.

However, I received an offer to go to Africa if I agreed to

When the room fills with friendly debate about the true de-

finition of One Health, I always find myself thinking of the

people who inspired me to use the One Health approach, and

I consider what contributions they would make to the conver-

sation.

Dr. Patricia Conrad is one of the first people who comes to

mind when the topic of One Health is discussed. She is a

veterinarian, professor of parasitology, Associate Dean for

Global Programs in the School of Veterinary Medicine and

co-director of the University of California Global Health In-

stitute’s One Health Center of Expertise at UC Davis. Her

research is based on zoonotic transmission of protozoan

parasites and emerging infectious diseases. Although, she

will laugh and tell you she never wanted to do research in

the first place.

After receiving her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from

Colorado State University she earned a PhD in Proto-

zoology and Tropical Animal Health from the University of

Edinburgh. She completed her post-doctoral research at

the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Di-

seases in Nairobi, Kenya studying the transmission of ru-

minant parasites.

Dr. Conrad, along with being a leader in her field, is some-

one who has mentored and advised many individuals in-

terested in research, infectious disease and One Health.

INTERVIEW with

Dr. PATRICIA CONRADProfessor of Parasitology, Associate Dean for Global Programs

at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary

Medicine


take a research position. So after much contemplation,

I thought I would give it a try for a couple of years. That

is where I discovered this approach of bringing together

people from different disciplines, perspectives and coun-

tries to look at a problem as a team, and I loved it. This

love is why I stayed with research and found myself

looking for other opportunities to continue to apply the

One Health approach to hopefully make a contribution.

I brought this approach to the University of California,

Davis and over time have gained more confidence in

looking at the ecology of disease, pathogen transmissi-

on and how our animals and we, ourselves, impact the

environment.

One Health is best, and certainly the most fun, for people

who like to work together and want to tackle complex

problems. It is important for a successful team to have a

mix of personalities and perspectives. I shaped my own

career taking a One Health approach to parasite pro-

blems and hope I’ve exposed others to these concepts so

they can also find ways to apply a One Health approach

to global health challenges.

3. What are the potential career paths for veteri-

nary students to pursue in the field of One Health?

First, I want to clarify a part of your question. I do not

believe that One Health is a field or discipline; it is a per-

spective or approach. It is a more holistic way of viewing

a problem or global challenges with their many intercon-

nected components. And we all have something special

to contribute to that.

When we call it a field, I think we are placing ourselves,

as One Health practitioners, in a box. Advertisements

for One Health positions are starting to appear. But

even more encouraging, there is an increased appreciation

in many different sectors for people that have specific skills

and abilities that can also work well with others and are able

to fulfill multiple roles and responsibilities. I believe that over

time, more employers in private, public and academic orga-

nizations will be looking for employees who can understand

animal and human health issues in the context of environ-

mental change.

With that in mind, there are a wide variety of paths to pur-

sue when you practice a One Health approach. Many people

choose to look into zoonotic diseases. It is one of the first

ideas that captured peoples’ attention because that is where

the label or descriptor gained wide international acceptan-

ce. The avian influenza A (H5N1) outbreak in Hong Kong in

1997 may be credited with initially prompting global support

for the application of a “One-Health" approach to emerging

infectious diseases because of the need for veterinary and

public health experts to work together. Since then the World

Bank, OIE, FAO, USAID and WHO have all come to support

this approach to pandemic infectious disease prevention and

control. Therefore, the area of zoonotic diseases is certainly

a big one to consider, but One Health is not limited to that.

Take a zoonotic virus transmitted by mosquitos. We have a

vector interacting with a pathogen and multiple hosts. But,

when you have vectors you have environmental factors such

as water, humidity, and climate conditions that impact their

population. Any problem that is multifaceted can have as-

pects that most people might not think about initially. The

One Health approach has applications for these complex is-

sues and is breaking down communication barriers to impact

and solve issues.

As veterinary students, you have already begun to learn what

you are passionate about but if you keep an open mind and

heart there is even more to discover. I can give examples of


To become involved locally people should build or participate

in organizations that that give you an opportunity to test your

ideas and apply your skills, such as One Health clinics, rese-

arch projects and seminars. Making connections in these clubs

with faculty, staff and students outside of your regular classes

is also important. Sharing successes among your groups can

excite and promote the One Health approach.

One Health is an approach that anyone can use and be a part

of. It is first about opening up to that possibility and then co-

ming together that makes One Health work.

Picture taken in Sri Lanka during a One Health Intensive Field

Course. This is where the author learned about Dr. Conrad’s

views on One Health.

people who have been in your shoes and are now invested

in working globally. Some of my former PhD students with

DVM degrees have gone into epidemiology, bacteriology,

parasitology and marine ecology. Others have done residen-

cies or Masters degree programs to become pathologists,

microbiologists and public health practitioners. Having the

flexibility to move into different learning environments will

help you discover more about your calling and apply the One

Health approach.

The challenge goes back to the fact that One Health is not

a discipline. Having DVM training provides a solid founda-

tion for tackling many problems. If you then do advanced

training, you will come out with specific expertise that builds

on that foundation, differentiates you and advances your ca-

reer. Personally, I never wanted a PhD but I’m glad I got it!

My doctoral training and degree created opportunities for

me to work in other countries and then come to UC Davis.

This changed my life in the best possible way! I love my job

and the students I get to work with here!

4. I understand you travel internationally frequently.

What do you believe travel has to do with One Health?

Traveling will let you observe and possibly participate in ano-

ther culture. To me, this is the best learning experience. We

are placing ourselves in an environment that is different and

causes us to be more vulnerable, open and observant. All of

those are good characteristics in applying a One Health ap-

proach because they make you question what you already

know.

5. Health professional students are very busy, and we

are looking for a way to promote involvement as much as

possible. What do you think is the best way for students

to get involved in One Health locally?


Veterinarians, One Health and the

nexus between disease and food security

Robyn Alders1, Julia de Bruyn1, Kate Wingett1 and Johanna Wong1

Faculty of Veterinary Science and Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Australia

Introduction

Humanity is at a crossroads as we seek to deliver optimal

and sustainable diets for 9 billion people by 2050 (Alders et

al. 2016; FAO 2009). Despite increases in agricultural pro-

duction during the past two decades, malnutrition rates

have not diminished significantly. Undernutrition remains

a significant problem in many developing countries while

over nutrition (obesity and its sequelae) has become a ma-

jor global issue.

Historically the domestication and production of animal

species has been a major driving force behind the emer-

gence of infectious disease (Alders et al. 2012). Diseases

have tended to emerge and maintain themselves in cen-

tres where human and animal density is high or where hu-

man activities encroach on naive environments. Intensive

systems of animal production have grown rapidly since

the mid-1800s and dominate modern food systems, con-

tributing to the emergence, spread and maintenance of

new disease agents through the increased interaction and

of animals and people. Concurrently, increased consump-

tion of animal-source foods — in addition to nutrient-poor,

energy-rich processed foods — has been linked to the rise

in overnutrition and non-communicable diseases such as

obesity.

The nexus between disease and food security is one cru-

cial issue being addressed by interdisciplinary research,

with veterinarians playing a central role.

Definitions One Health, Conservation Medicine, Eco-

health and Planetary Health

Interdisciplinary research focusing on the intersection of

human and animal health and environmental conditions

has risen to prominence during the past two decades. This

has been in response to complex health issues as varied as

(i) highly pathogenic avian influenza, which connects hu-

mans, poultry management, and wild birds; (ii) amphibian

declines, which involve chytridiomycosis, an emerging fun-

gal disease; (iii) poaching and consumption of ‘bush meat’,

linked to population pressures, a lack of livelihood oppor-

tunities, and infectious disease; and (iv) noncommunicable

diseases resulting from modern food systems that deliver

food of poor nutritional value produced using technologies

that have a significant negative effect on ecosystems.

These interdisciplinary endeavours have been given a range

of names over the years including:

· One Health – an integrative effort of multiple dis-

ciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain

optimal health for people, animals, and the environment

(AVMA 2008);

· Conservation Medicine – an interdisciplinary field

with a strong focus on the integrity of ecosystems (Alders

2009);

· EcoHealth – a movement that recognizesthat

‘health and well-being are the result of complex and dy-

namic interactions between determinants, and between

people, social and economic conditions, and ecosystems’

(Charron 2012); and most recently


· Planetary Health – which aims to safeguard

human health and the natural systems that underpin it

(Rockefeller Foundation 2015).

Chronic food and nutrition insecurity: a key driver of

disease

Given the relationship between human food production

activities and disease emergence, it is essential that the

drivers of chronic food insecurity be understood. The ma-

nifestations of these drivers are often context-specific as

they vary according to gender, cultural, socioeconomic and

agro-ecological frameworks. A lack of access to a balanced

diet can lead to both undernutrition and overnutrition re-

sulting in lifelong impacts on human health and inefficien-

cies in food utilization.

Veterinarians working to reduce disease, improve

food security and support sustainable development

In Tanzania and Zambia

Recent evaluation of progress towards international tar-

gets for improving food and nutrition security has revea-

led substantial geographical variation (FAO, IFAD and WFP

2015). Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of

undernutrition of any region, and population growth there

has resulted in a marked increase in the number of under-

nourished people in recent decades.

Chickens are kept in small flocks by households in rural and

urban communities throughout Africa and in many low

income, food-deficit countries around the world. In villa-

ge settings, chickens often rely largely on environmental

food sources, roaming and scavenging during the day and

roosting in trees or being kept in their owners’ houses over-

night. Infectious disease poses a significant threat in such

systems, where birds move freely between households and

through markets, and there are limited options for biosecu-

rity measures to be enforced.

Vaccination programs against Newcastle disease (ND), a

major constraint to village poultry production (Alexander

et al. 2004), offer the potential to avoid significant seaso-

nal mortalities. Our current research in Tanzania and Zam-

bia is assessing the effect of ND control on chicken flocks

and looking at opportunities to improve human nutrition

through greater sale and consumption of poultry products

(Alders et al. 2014; de Bruyn et al. 2015). It is taking a mul-

tidisciplinary One Health approach and is exploring how

bush meat contributes to human diets and how promoting

the production of micronutrient-rich traditional vegeta-

bles in conjunction with increased consumption of chicken

meat and eggs can help reduce malnutrition and improve

maternal child health outcomes.

Foods of animal-origin contain high-quality protein and

bioavailable micronutrients with the potential to greatly

improve the nutrient content of carbohydrate-based diets

(Neumann, Harris and Rogers 2002). Veterinary interven-

tions that improve chicken health and production, and in-

crease access to poultry products, can contribute to sustai-

nable improvements in food security and human nutrition

(Alders et al. 2014).

In Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste, a near neighbour to Australia, has one of the

highest rates of undernutrition in the world. Despite im-

provements during recent years, 50.2% of children are still

affected by chronic undernutrition, with low dietary diver-

sity being the limiting factor for children achieving an ade-

quate diet (SEAMEO RECFON 2014). Animal-source foods

are one of the least frequently consumed food categories

in Timor-Leste and there is great potential for increased

consumption to contribute to human nutrition.

Although most households in rural Timor-Leste keep poul-

try, production is hampered by a high burden of disease,


particularly ND, and predation (Serrão 2012). The Village

Poultry Health and Biosecurity Program, is implemented

jointly by the Australian Government Department of Agri-

culture and Water Resources and the Timorese Ministry of

Agriculture and Fisheries, with technical support from the

University of Sydney. The program aims to reduce mor-

tality of village chickens and improve production through

community-based vaccination campaigns against ND and

the use of other appropriate husbandry practices. Our rese-

arch in Timor-Leste is monitoring and assessing the effect

of this program on village chicken production and on hu-

man nutrition, and is also investigating factors that influen-

ce household food consumption, particularly of poultry

products. These factors include seasonal changes in food

availability, wild food consumption, and socio-cultural be-

liefs and practices.

In Australia

Being an island nation with vigilant biosecurity, Australia is

fortunate to be free of many of the infectious diseases that

debilitate other regions of the world. However, noncom-

municable diseases (NCDs) related to poor dietary choices

are having a major negative effect on the health of Aus-

tralians today. More than one-quarter of Australian adults

are obese and there is widespread insufficient intake of

micronutrients, primarily due to the excessive consump-

tion of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods (ABS & FSANZ

2015; OECD 2014). It appears that the diet of a significant

proportion of Australians is of inadequate quality in terms

of nutrient content, thus failing to meet the criteria set by

the FAO for being food and nutrient secure, despite the do-

mestic production of sufficient fresh food to feed a popula-

tion more than double the country’s current size.

The challenge ahead for the agricultural industries and the

veterinary profession is to maintain the reliable supply of

diverse and safe nutrient-dense animal-source foods.

Climate change and weather variability, competition for

land use,and the rising cost of inputs may all heighten the

vulnerability of farming systems in the near future (How-

den et al. Stokes 2008; FAO 2014). Novel approaches are

required to ensure the longevity of agriculture in Australia

and the health of our ecosystems and people.

We are researching ways to reduce the prevalence of die-

trelated NCDs while simultaneously maximizing the pro-

ductivity of merino sheep and reducing greenhouse gas

emissions in Australia, including increasing domestic con-

sumption of mutton and offal. These commodities are pro-

duced in parallel with fine wool from extensively grazed

Merino sheep and are good source of protein, iron, zinc and

omega-3 fatty acids (Williams et al. 2007), but are rarely ea-

ten by Australians today (ABARES 2014).

Conclusions

These examples show that veterinarians can provide a key

link between primary producers, dietitians, food retailers

and environmental scientists, facilitating the sustainable

production of animal source foods, in terms of nutrient

content and diversity, biosecurity, animal welfare, environ-

mental impact and food availability. Our veterinary training

in comparative anatomy, physiology, medicine and animal

management systems opens up many career pathways.

Using our training in support of ecologically sustainable

food systems for people and non-human animals makes

a major contribution to the health of all life on our incre-

asingly resource-limited planet.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge funding provided by the

Australian Government, especially the Australian Centre

for International Agricultural Research, in support of rese-

arch on disease prevention and improved foodsecurity.


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TRAVELING AND ZOONOSISSkrekas ChrysovalantisIVSA Thessaloniki memberFaculty of Veterinary Medicine AUTH, third year of school, Thessaloniki, Greece

“There is nowhere in the world from which we are remote

and no one from whom we are disconnected.” – Joshua

Lederberg, 1992

This article focuses on travel as a risk factor in exposure

to zoonoses and other factors potentially confounding

diagnoses. With the escalating speed of transportation,

people can travel to rural and remote areas with which

they had little contact before and where there are unique

and often concentrated collections of wildlife. So their ex-

posure to animals, and the infections they transmit, has

increased dramatically over the years. People can be ex-

posed to pathogens not common in their home location.

They are in excellent position to acquire zoonoses, trans-

mit them, and act as sentinels for disease emergence. Ac-

curate diagnoses of the pathogens involved are often es-

sential to prevent life-threatening stages of disease from

developing. Also, travelers who constract infections can

serve to initiate epidemics.

Zoonotic infections are defined as infections transmit-

ted from animals to humans (and less frequently vice

versa), either through direct contact, through contact

with animal products or indirectly through intermedi-

ate vectors such as arthropods. In recent years, zoon-

oses and communicable diseases common to man and

animals have gained more attention worldwide. Human

diseases that have their origins in infected animals, such

as AIDS, have highlighted the need for a better under-

standing of animal diseases in terms of their epidemio-

logy, mechanism of transmission to man, diagnosis,

prevention and control. Social and demographic chan-

ges have also contributed to the importance of gaining

and disseminating knowledge about zoonoses.


About 60% of pathogens that infect humans are zoon-

otic and these pathogens are highly relevant in veteri-

nary public health: Ebola virus is now a top priority on

many health and humanitarian agendas leading to tra-

vel restrictions and call for a global medical emergency

situation. Rabies virus poses a major threat to travelers

in endemic areas, the exotic culinary delights that are

enjoyed during travel may contain hidden dangers such

as tapeworms and flukes and other food-borne parasi-

tes. Biting vectors encountered by travelers can trans-

mit Leishmania spp, or the monkey malaria Plasmodi-

um knowlesi, respiratory zoonotic viruses include highly

pathogenic H5N1, avian influenza, H1N1 swine flu, and

emerging coronaviruses SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.

Some destinations have particular zoonotic risks.

Common routes for potential trans-

mission of infectious diseases bet-

ween animals and humans.

Worldwide occurrence of infectious di-

sease emergence and resurgence du-

ring recent years results in a need for in-

creased vigilance, risk assessment and

prediction of zoonotic diseases.

A special characteristic of zoonotic infections is that they

can re-emerge just when they are considered to be un-

der control or eliminated, because they can go into hi-

ding in the animal reservoirs so there is no possibility for

complacency. Travelers will act as sentinels for infections

but also as disseminators.

How do travelers het infected with zoonoses?

• Oral ingestion of food water

• Aerosol or droplet infection

• Vector borne

• Direct contact with animal reservoirs

• Water borne (contact)

• Food borne


Infections that travelers can obtain while far from home

can complicate timely diagnoses. The doctor may miss

the diagnosis, because of the similarity in clinical signs

and symptoms that are associated with multiple diseases,

especially during early stages of illness. However, some

doctors may have little familiarity with the pathogen in-

volved or little reason to consider that pathogen without

the patient offering clear information. Failure of the tra-

veler to identify and disclose those situations can greatly

complicate disease diagnoses when the pathogens invol-

ved may not exist in the geographic area where the visi-

ted hospital is located. In addition, an increasing number

of pathogens of animal origin have not historically been

human health concerns, yet may be emerging or resur-

ging causes of disease in immunocompromised people.

For references contact Skrekas Chrysovalantis



RMBDs: Raw meat diets and consequencesGiorgos Polyzois, SCOH Liaison Officer

IVSA Thessaloniki, 3rd Year, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Feeding of raw meat-based diets to pets has become an increasingly popular trend amongst pet owners2. Raw-meat

based diets or BARF (Bones And Raw Food) or RMBDs (Raw Meat Based Diets) are those that include uncooked ingre-

dients and that are fed to companion animals living in home environments, including bones, skeletal muscles, fish,

poultry or sometimes uncooked eggs. It is also very common amongst breeders. Owners usually feed their pets like

feeding their family, with products they believe that give a nutritional boost to them. Sometimes that is not exactly

very accurate, because these diets could cause several problems; not only to animals, but also in humans. The pro-

blems with raw-food diets first appeared in ruminants. Specifically, with the use of meat and fishmeal in the diet of

dairy cows. We had the mad cow disease as a result of the prion protein, which was included in these meals. These

cows had neurological problems and humans couldn’t use this meat for consumption.

People believe that feeding raw meat to their pets has a lot of advantages. For example, some pet owners have

abandoned the recommended commercial diets, in search of a more ‘natural’ and ‘home-made’ choice2. They also

believe that these natural diets could give their pets increased energy, improved coat and skin condition and decre-

ased body odor for the dogs that are on this diet4. As veterinarians, I think it is our task to inform the public about

the risks involved in RMBDs.


Many scientists have been exploring the potential danger of feeding raw meat to dogs and cats. Specifically, they

have been exploring the fecal prevalence of several enteric zoonotic pathogens3. Given the frequency with which

raw meat products are contaminated with foodborne pathogens, many researchers determined that pets consu-

ming food containing raw meat were at increased risk of carrying the three most common foodborne bacterial

zoonotic pathogens occurring in humans: Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, and Escherichia coli3. Consu-

ming that kind of diets could also lead to infection with another major pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii.

First of all, Salmonella entericais a zoonotic, Gram-negative bacterium, intracellular pathogen, causing usually

gastrointestinal diseases, such as diarrhea. Humans can be infected from contaminated food, which includes high

concentration of this bacteria. Additionally, Campylobacter jejuni is a zoonotic, Gram-negative bacterium, com-

monly found in animal feces. It is one of the most common causes of human gastroenteritis. It is usually associa-

ted with poultry. Contaminated food is a major source of isolated infections, with incorrectly prepared meat and

poultry as the primary source of the bacteria. Moreover, Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a zoonotic, Gram-negative bac-

terium, usually found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Most E. coli strains do not cause disease,

but some virulent strains, could cause gastrointestinal problems due to food contamination. Finally, Toxoplasma

gondii (T. gondii) is a parasitic protozoan, that could cause the disease toxoplasmosis. The main source for T. gondii

transmission is raw meat. This parasite could cause several neurological problems, such as tremors and lethargy,

but mostly causes diarrhea, fever and other gastrointestinal problems to pets.

Studies have confirmed that RMBDs may be a theoretical risk nutritionally. Raw food poses also a substantial risk

of infectious disease to the pet, the pet’s environment, and the humans in the household2. The previous pathogens

have been isolated from the feed, feces, and vacuum contents. This could cause public health issues, especially for

young people, elderly or pregnant women. For example, women newly infected with T. gondii during pregnancy


and anyone with a compromised immune system should be aware that toxoplasmosis can have several consequen-

ces especially abortion. Also, Salmonella could cause serious diarrhea to people, with several months of full recovery.

Raw food diets for companion animals are not intended for human consumption. However, it is likely that they are

handled in kitchen where foods for human consumption are prepared. Thereby there is a possibility of cross-conta-

mination and a subsequent exposure of humans to pathogens from the raw food diet products5.

In conclusion, there is a need for extensive studies, in order to clarify the benefits and risks of RMBDs. But, due to

the knowledge we have from our faculties, we are aware that feeding raw meat to companion animals could lead to

the spread of zoonotic diseases. To the pet owners that insist on using these diets to feed their pets, the observance

of hygiene rules, and the feed with well heat and boiled meat could possibly prevent the development of this phe-

nomenon.

References:

1. Current knowledge about the risks and benefits of raw meat-based diets for dogs and cats.

Freeman LM, Chandler ML, Hamper BA, Weeth LP

2. Raw food diets in companion animals: a critical review.

Schlesinger DP1, Joffe DJ.

3. Perceptions, practices, and consequences associated with foodborne pathogens and the feeding of raw meat to dogs.

Lenz J1, Joffe D, Kauffman M, Zhang Y, LeJeune J

4. Preliminary assessment of the risk of Salmonella infection in dogs fed raw chicken diets.xe

Daniel J. Joffe and Daniel P. Schlesinger

5. Hygiene quality and presence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in raw food diets for dogs.

Oskar Nilsson, DVM, BSc, PhD


INTERVIEW with Dr. Barbara Haesler One Health lecturer and researcher

at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC)

& Maria Garza MSc One Health gratuate Royal

Veterinary College

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and

your career?

Maria: I graduated in Veterinary Medicine in Zarago-

za, Spain. Soon, I was more interested in livestock

health and its economic and public health impact

than in pet’s medicine. Subsequently, I was lucky to be

able to do some training and working periods in Peru,

Ireland and Spain. During that time I gained some

experience in animal health and production and in-

sights into infectious diseases and its diagnostics and

control. I realized that I wanted to improve my know-

ledge about the control of infectious diseases and also

was very interested about international development

and found out about the MSc One Health hosted by the

Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the London School

of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). It was a very

fulfilling year, coming across extremely inspirational

professionals and colleagues which broadened my in-

terests even more. Since then I took part as a research

assistant in some projects led by Barbara.

Barbara: I did an undergraduate degree in veterinary


medicine at the University of Bern, Switzerland and then

moved on to do a Swiss doctoral thesis at the Federal

Veterinary Office (now called Federal Food Safety and

Veterinary Office) on the epidemiology and economics

of neosporosis control. After working as a border vete-

rinary inspector at the border inspection post in Basel,

I joined the Royal Veterinary College as a research as-

sistant in Veterinary Public Health. From 2008 to 2011 I

undertook research for a PhD on the economics of ani-

mal health surveillance while simultaneously studying

for a Certificate of Higher Education in Economics, both

of London University. After that I worked as a Post-Doc-

toral Fellow in the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Re-

search on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH) and RVC de-

veloping frameworks to assess the impact of foodborne

and zoonotic diseases and their mitigation. In 2013 I be-

came a lecturer in Agrihealth at the same centre. I have

a strong interest in applying One Health or Ecohealth

approaches to better understand food systems and how

changes in those impact on food safety and food secu-

rity and to improve the wellbeing of people and animals

through better resource allocation.

2. According to you, what is One Health?

Both: We conceive it as an approach based on the in-

tegration of different disciplines and sectors in order

to solve multifactorial problems, particularly those of

a complex nature. We believe that the concept is much

broader than referring to health issues. In fact, One

Health endeavours should take a systems approach to

capture and address the interactions of ecological, so-

cial, economic and political factors. By doing this, we

can hopefully contribute to healthier, more equitable,

efficient and resilient systems that promote health for

people, animals and the environment. A very topical

challenge is the understanding and management of an-

timicrobial resistance, which requires shared efforts by

multiple sectors – animal, human and environmental

health – on antimicrobial use and resistance develop-

ment to gain knowledge on how resistance genes deve-

lop and spread and what could be done in terms of miti-

gation.

3. Can you tell us something about the history of

One Health? Did we have it before or is it really some-

thing new?

Maria: In my case, I had heard about the concept of

“One Health - One World” thanks to one of my profes-

sors at University. I fully discovered about the multiple

dimensions of it during my MSc One Health. However, it

was never a revelation. Looking back at my training, se-

veral professors and professionals instilled ideas in the

line of “one health”; observing and considering multiple

factors to tackle problems, particularly when dealing

with infectious diseases. Actually, the veterinary field is

itself a compendium of disciplines, as opposed to other

“niche” sciences. Not only do we learn about observati-

onal, clinical knowledge and pathology, but also about

basic sciences and technology, animal production, hus-

bandry, economics, the food systems and public health,

legislation... it really is broad. I think that veterinarians

have naturally always been open to interdisciplinary ap-

proaches because of their role in linking animal and hu-

man health.

Barbara: In fact, the idea that the health and well-being

of people is closely linked to the animals they depend on

and the environment they share, is nothing new. Some

colleagues summarised it very nicely in a paper where

they said “It is a basic condition of life on earth, repe-

atedly re-discovered and further explored throughout

human history”. I believe that the recent rise or re-acti-


vation of One Health was triggered by the occurrence of

pandemics and epidemics of emerging problems – most

notably the emergence of highly pathogenic avian in-

fluenza and more recently ecological disasters and eco-

nomic crises that made people realise that we need to

collaborate to address the big challenges that we are fa-

cing. This trend was most likely exacerbated by the role

of the internet and media coverage of these topics.

4. How do you use the concept in your work or

everyday life?

Both: The Veterinary Epidemiology Economics and Pu-

blic Health Group at the Royal Veterinary College and

the associated Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Re-

search on Agriculture and Health have many national

and international projects that embrace the concept of

interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral work in One Health,

Ecohealth or Agrihealth. Given the multi-factorial natu-

re of many of the research questions we are addressing,

our work often requires collaboration with experts from

other fields and countries. For example in LCIRAH under

the guidance of Jonathan Rushton, Professor in Animal

Health Economics at the RVC, we are working on pro-

jects that aim to understand the dynamics of livestock

food systems and how they are linked to food safety,

nutrition, food security, economic and health outco-

mes. To do this work, we need to think about econo-

mic, epidemiological, cultural, biological, policy and

social factors. Because our food systems are under

enormous pressure, in the project Innovative Food

System Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL, http://ifstal.

ouce.ox.ac.uk/), which is cross-university post-gradu-

ate learning opportunity for students at Reading, Ox-

ford, Warwick, London City University and LCIRAH,

we are discussing in an interdisciplinary, systems-ba-

sed way the challenge of providing food security un-

der global population and economic growth. In these

interdisciplinary projects, we often need to leave our

comfort zone to look at our research question from

a new perspective taking into account ideas and me-

thods from other disciplines and deal with a wide ran-

ge of information. It can sometimes be challenging to

solve logistics and produce clear and concrete results,

but it is motivating as you learn and thrive with each

project. However, One Health is still not mainstream

and we think that one of the reasons for this is that

there is limited evidence on the added value of One

Health. Therefore, we are both part of the internatio-

http://ifstal.ouce.ox.ac.uk/

http://ifstal.ouce.ox.ac.uk/


nal Network for Evaluation of One Health (http://neoh.

onehealthglobal.net/) that Barbara is chairing, where a

network of international professionals collaborates to

capture the added value of One Health.

5. What are the most striking/surprising/interes-

ting research developments so far?

Maria: In terms of developments, I would say that for

me, the most interesting prospects will be to see effi-

cient collaborations between different groups of peop-

le and from different fields to show evidence that can

ultimately be translated into reality and policies. In ad-

dition, I think that in the last years there has been a lot

of advances in technology to identify and to be applied

in the field to control infectious diseases: vector control,

development of new and more efficient diagnostics test,

better forecasting tools or effective vaccination pro-

grams.

Barbara: I concur with Maria, these are encouraging

developments. What is surprising for me to see is that

despite very many calls for system-based, interdiscipli-

nary approaches like Ecohealth, One Health, Agrihealth,

Planetary Health, etc. there is still a very large group of

professionals out there who continue to look for discipli-

nary solutions without considering system drivers, inter-

actions and effects.

6 What do you identify as the most important One

Health movements/activities/topics at the moment?

Both: One of the current hot topics in One Health are

emerging diseases (of which around two thirds are zoon-

otic) that pose a threat to humans. Emergence rates are

influenced by climate change, human encroachment

and change in land use and other important factors such

as the intensification of production systems, urbanisa-

tion and global trade networks. Often, the consequen-

ces of these events are felt most strongly in the most

vulnerable populations. Another major challenge we

need to tackle is the big rise and global spread in anti-

microbial resistance. Finally, the world is facing a huge

crisis in both over- and undernutrition with a minority of

people globally having healthy and balanced diets. As a

society, in collaboration with policy makers, producers,

consumers, the research community, retailers, NGOs

and other stakeholders, we need to find ways to create

more resilient and sustainable food systems that allow

feeding ever growing human populations in a healthy

way. As vets, we have a great responsibility both as pro-

fessionals and consumers, to contribute to the solution,

as we are part of livestock value chains and know about

disease, animal welfare, public health and environmen-

tal repercussions. We must use this knowledge to allow

people to make informed consumption choices and in-

crease the efficiency and sustainability of our livestock

systems.

7. What do you hope for with a One Health approach?

Maria: Given the current circumstances, I don’t think

that we have other alternatives than fighting to use the-

se approaches that would alleviate and prevent more

problems.

Barbara: We now have a very enthusiastic group of stu-

dents at RVC with a great interest in One Health and Glo-

bal Health. They actively communicate with other disci-

plines, have innovative ideas and the vision to do things

differently. This gives me a lot of hope and I would like

to encourage you all to keep an open mind, gain strong

disciplinary skills and use them in fruitful and respectful

collaboration with other sectors!


Working in Human Public Health as a VETERINARIANEpke Le Rutte, DVM

I was born in 1987, grew up in the Netherlands

(NL), finished high school in the UK and went to study Ve-

terinary Medicine to become a veterinarian just like my

grandmother. I studied at Utrecht University (NL) and in

between many fun social events I squeezed in the requi-

red long days of vet school. Being more interested in the

medical side than the fluffy animals, I was very excited

to write my bachelor thesis about disease transmission

between cattle and wild buffalo’s in sub-Saharan Africa.

This was a real turning point, as I realized that there was

much more to veterinary medicine than curing one ani-

mal at a time. Large programs that focused on interrup-

ting transmission, benefitting both animals ánd humans

sounded much more interesting and important to me.

With this newly sparked enthusiasm I started my

masters (Livestock and Veterinary Public Health) with

my research project: 4 months at the Food and Agricul-

ture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) in

Rome, Italy. Which ended up being 9 months as part of

the minor ‘research’. Working on pathogen survival stra-

tegies for 40 zoonotic infections made me understand

the importance of a multidisciplinary approach towards

global public health challenges in the field of infectious

diseases.

Back at the faculty in Utrecht I did my practical rotati-

ons but also pursued my interest in One Health by ta-

king summer courses at Harvard School of Public Health

(HSPH) to learn more from a ‘human public health’ point

of view, and increase my knowledge in epidemiology

and vector borne and zoonotic global infectious disea-

ses. I started to further appreciate the importance but

also the complexity and challenges of the One Health

approach. Being the only vet student at HSPH among

mostly doctors and health scientist led to many interes-

ting discussions and I was often shocked about how little

was taught about zoonotic infections and public health

in medical schools.

At the time there was an ongoing outbreak of

Q-fever in the Netherlands, which raised a lot of awa-

reness as many cases could have been prevented if GP’s

and vets would have worked closer together, by at least

informing one another of the occurring cases. This out-

break led to a political report that suggested a closer


collaboration between vets and human doctors. At that

same time the faculty was developing a new ‘major’

called ‘One Health’ which I was actively involved in as a

student-job and which aimed to promote collaboration

from early on between pharmacology, medical and ve-

terinary students.

Currently I am working as a PhD-candidate at the

Department of Public Health of the Erasmus Medical

Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and my team is

funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Eras-

mus MC is NLs largest university hospital and we are one

of the partners of the newly formed Netherlands Center

for One Health. My topic is the elimination and control

of Visceral Leishmaniasis, a Neglected Tropical Disease

that is zoonotic in certain parts of the world. I very much

enjoy the international aspect of my job, with over 36

flights in my first year, as well as the multidisciplinary

partners I work with globally, such as WHO, PAHO, other

universities and institutes, the pharmaceutical industry

and many more. We all share the excitement and pas-

sion in eliminating and controlling this disease as we

speak. I look forward to pursue a career on the interface

of Human and Veterinary Public Health.

Neglected Tropical Diseases

More than 1 billion people in developing countries suf-

fer from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). NTDs are

considered a special category of infectious diseases, dis-

tinct from the major tropical infections HIV, tuberculosis

and malaria, which have been the main focus of atten-

tion and funding for developing countries over the past

decades. The NTDs have attracted little funding, largely

because they are rare in wealthier countries and often

not affect tourists.

To avert this neglect, the World Health Organizati-

on (WHO) created the list of 10 NTDs that consist of

worm infections: lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis,

soil-transmitted helinths (ascariasis, trichuriasis, hook-

worm) schistosomiasis and Guinnee worm, protozoa:

visceral leishmaniasis, Chagas’ disease and human Afri-

can trypanosomiasis and bacteria causing blinding tra-

choma and leprosy, of which some are zoonotic.

NTDs can cause anemia and blindness, stunt child-

ren’s growth, lead to cognitive impairments, complicate

pregnancies and sometimes cause death. People living

in extreme poverty often suffer from more than one of

these diseases simultaneously, which affects their abili-

ty to make a living and move out of poverty. As a major

public health burden in dozens of poor countries, NTDs

are a barrier to the achievement of the UN Millennium

Development Goals.

In 2012, WHO developed the first NTD 2020 Road-

map that contains targets for the elimination and con-

trol of NTDs. That same year, the London Declaration

was signed by several partners from the public and pri-

vate sector, to support the 2020 WHO Roadmap targets

through advocacy, pharmaceutical supplies and rese-

arch funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundati-

on (BMGF), among others.

In the ideal situation that all WHO 2020 targets

are met it has been calculated to lead to about 600 mil-

lion averted DALYs and 600 billion averted US Dollars in

the period 2011–2030. These health gains include about

150 million averted irreversible disease manifestations

(e.g. blindness) and 5 million averted deaths. Control of

soil-transmitted helminths accounts for one third of all

averted DALYs. The projected health impact of reaching


the London Declaration is considered to justify the re-

quired efforts. (health impact paper) An overview of the

health and economic impact of achieving the WHO tar-

gets for control and elimination of London Declaration

NTDs has been beautifully illustrated here.

The question whether we are on track towards

achieving the goals is of high relevance with the 2020

deadline approaching quickly. The current intervention

strategies vary per disease and per country, therefor a

Modeling Consortium has formed, funded by the BMGF,

to calculate per disease whether the current interventi-

on strategies are sufficient to reach the 2020 elimination

and control targets. Transmission modeling is an appro-

priate tool to simulate the disease transmission dyna-

mics and calculate the expected effect of interventions

such as mass drug administration and vector control on

future disease prevalence.

Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam is a partici-

pant of the Modelling Consortium working on 5 NTDs,

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) being one of them. On the

Indian subcontinent (ISC), VL is caused by the protozo-

an Leishmania donovani, which is transmitted by the

peri-domestic female sand- fly, Phlebotomus argenti-

pes. There are about 300 million people at risk globally,

mainly affecting the poorest of the poor in rural areas.

Two thirds of the estimated global 200,000 to 400,000

new VL cases per year occur on the ISC. Furthermore,

over 20,000 deaths per year on the ISC are attributed to

VL, making it the deadliest parasitic infection in the wor-

ld after malaria. On the ISC, the target is to eliminate

VL as a public health problem by or before the end of

2017, where elimination is defined as an annual inciden-

ce of VL of <1 per 10,000 capita at sub-district-levels in

Bangladesh and India; and at district-level in Bhutan and

Nepal. In the rest of the world, the WHO target is 100 %


detection and treatment of all VL cases.

The governments of the ISC-countries have com-

mitted themselves to achieving the elimination target

by implementing different interventions. These are

mainly focused on two approaches: (1) early diagnosis of

symptomatic cases followed by effective case manage-

ment, which prevents disability and death, and reduces

the presence of infective individuals; and (2) vector con-

trol to reduce or interrupt transmission. Indoor residual

spraying (IRS) of human dwellings and cattle sheds with

long lasting insecticides such as DDT is currently the

most important and widely implemented form of vector

control.

According to recent predictions by the Erasmus’

VL transmission model, elimination of VL (incidence of

<1 per 10,000) by 2017 is only feasible in low and medi-

um endemic settings with optimal IRS. In highly ende-

mic settings and settings with sub-optimal IRS, additio-

nal interventions will be required.

Current research focuses on what to do if current

interventions are predicted not sufficient to reach the

targets, by exploring the impact of intensifying the ef-

fectiveness of interventions or by applying different in-

terventions, such as a possible future vaccine.

Would you like to read more about this topic?

WHO: http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/en/

London Declaration: http://www.who.int/neglected_di-

seases/London_Declaration_NTDs.pdf

Gates Foundation on NTDs: http://www.gatesfounda-

tion.org/What-We-Do/Global-Health/Neglected-Infec-

tious-Diseases

Uniting to Combat NTDs Progress Report: http://uni-

tingtocombatntds.org/sites/default/files/document/UT-

CNTD%20FULL%20REPORT.pdf

Or contact me! [email protected]

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epke-le-rutte-

69b94953

Instagram: Epke_Annelie

http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/en/

http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/London_Declaration_NTDs.pdf

http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/London_Declaration_NTDs.pdf

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Health/Neglected-Infectious-Diseases



http://unitingtocombatntds.org/sites/default/files/document/UTCNTD%20FULL%20REPORT.pdf



http://[email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/epke-le-rutte-69b94953

https://www.linkedin.com/in/epke-le-rutte-69b94953


As a veterinary student: How can you contribute to public education on improving the welfare of stray animals?

SCOVE WRITING CHALLENGE WINNER: Yuvraj Panth from NepalStanding Committee on Veterinary Education, (SCOVE) IVSA

Awareness on Rabies at Usha English Boarding School

Animal Welfare dignifies the animal to be facilitated with 5F’s viz. Freedom from thirst and hunger; discom-

fort; pain, injury and disease; fear and distress and Freedom to express most normal behaviour. Concern for

animal welfare is often based on the belief that animals are sentient and so consideration should be given

to their well-being or suffering. While animal welfare are limited only to animal right activists and veterina-

rians, the welfare may not be achieved although, so public awareness is a must.

Public awareness on animal welfare includes pamphlets distribution, artistic presentations, painting/ postering


on walls, street dances with themes, dramas, etc. The educated ones would be favoured by pamphlets and

presentations while illiterate could be awared by TV shows, radio scripts, street dances and drama shows.

Organizing free community animal health camps for stray animals with the involvement of public could mo-

tivate them work on animal welfare (feeding, sheltering) and importance of human-animal bond as well as

importance of those animals (eg. as pet). Say, catching dogs for neutering at the market throughout the day,

where many people could see that veterinarians working proactively for the community’s wellbeing, is impor-

tant to gain the community’s trust and to engage them in to the work. Engagement of local people, raising

their awareness and making them value population and disease control and therefore increase the animal

health within their community is the key to a sustainable health balance.

No matter wherever veterinarians work, private or shelter or community, they can make a huge impact in the

lives of animals and humans alike by offering resources and knowledge to aid in the reduction of unnecessary

relinquishment, abandonment and euthanasia of companion animals. One Health issues also put the importance

of public awareness on diseases that could be spread by stray animals, so welfare is included in it.

Mass Awareness on Rabies at Ratnanagar Hospital

School Awareness at

Valmiki School


As a vet, I can educate the importance of those cute animals when they are made a pet or a domestic and

offer advice to owners on at-home care, grooming, nutrition, dental care, behaviour, and the benefits of pet

sterilization. I can raise public awareness of issues pertaining to homeless animals and pet overpopulation. I

can serve the community by getting involved with programs that offer veterinary care to those animals who

are homeless and helping to control overpopulation of animals.

I have also been engaged frequently in public awareness and school awareness issues mainly in eradicating

Rabies where the contents would include the stray dogs, that are more prone to be a reservoir of Rabies.

Awareing the public, school teachers and students on neutering (because large number of dog population

will have to suffer more for hunger, shelter) the stray dogs as well as vaccinations are part of animal welfares.

Involving kids from the school and children is a great way of changing people’s minds towards animal health

and welfare. Children are naturally open and curious, and they can take their experiences from our awareness

topics to their families. Children are future’s nation builders, so educating and awaring them is thus important

and effective.

So, whatever might be the way or means of awareing public, the focus point is that, it should be of partici-

patory approach. When people participate themselves in community field approaches, the awareness would be

effective and welfare of such stray animals can be sustainable.

School Awareness at Valmiki School


From 25-29 January 2016 the 138th session of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) took place at

their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. As a veterinary student and IVSA and SCOH member I represented our student

association at this conference, a great honour!

So what is the EB exactly and what is the main purpose? The WHO 138th session of the Executive Board, the EB, is attended

by delegations from the 194 UN member states, NGOs in official relation with WHO and other partners. The Executive

Board is composed of 34 members technically qualified in the field of health; these members are elected for a three-year

term. It is the meeting in which the priorities for the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA) are defined, and thereby

many of the pressuring global health topics are discussed. The International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF)

and the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) are NGOs that are in official relation with

WHO and that way are invited to the EB each year. Last year and this year the students from IPSF asked us (IVSA), to-

gether with the World Congress of Chiropractic Students (WCCS), to join them.

IVSA at the WHO 138th session of the

Executive Board

Caroline Bulstra

Member of the IVSA Standing Committee on One Health (SCOH)

Student at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, the Netherlands


Our delegation was constituted as follows:

Ana Catharina Duarte – IPSF

Amber Liu – IPSF

Renato Nolasco – IPSF

Caroline Bulstra – IVSA

Damiano Costa – WCCS

The IFMSA delegation consisted of five medical students.

The WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan opened the EB with a report, highlighting the last developments, events

and achievements in the field of global public health. In her address, she provided an update on the Ebola situation in

West Africa, ending with the words “no one will let this virus take off and run away again”. Moreover, she expressed her

concerns regarding the explosive spread of Zika virus to new geographical areas with little population immunity. A new

emergency programme that transforms the way WHO responds to outbreaks and humanitarian crises was described

and also the implications for health of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were discussed. The

current refugee crisis was given as an example for several major crises that recently threaten health worldwide.

According to the member states, the agenda was the most comprehensive one they had seen so far. The EB agenda

consisted of 55 agenda items; subjects varied from disease preparedness, surveillance and response to communicable

diseases to non-communicable diseases to health systems and the WHO reform.

How do the WHO official member states, non-member states and partners contribute to the session of the Executive

Board? The Chair coordinates the session and every agenda item is discussed separately. The member states are the first

ones invited to deliver statements, then the non-member states and then the partners (including IVSA together with


IPSF and IFMSA). By delivering a statement the relevant party can state their position and advise the WHO regarding the

discussed topic.

The Chair, Malebona Precious Matsoso, was responsible for the smooth running of the session and had some creative

ways to encouraged this. She handed out chocolates and sang famous songs in the states’ own language when member

states ran out of time in delivering their statements. Dr. Margaret Chan appreciated it and said: “Chair, you may never

know, even with a bracketed text and a comma, how much chairing an EB session can affect WHO’s capacity to improve

world health”.

For us, as International Veterinary Student’ Association, interesting agenda items were the Ebola outbreak evaluation,

climate change, the global vaccine action plan and the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Our IVSA Working Group on Policy Statements and Position

Papers, together with the Executive Committee (ExCo), wor-

ked hard on preparing statements for this conference and for

the WHA in May. We were proud to be able to deliver a state-

ment on AMR, together with IFMSA and IPSF. This statement

stressed the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and

applying the One Health approach in addressing antimicrobial

resistance. It also emphasized the importance of starting AMR

control now in order to be able to cure the next generation by

using antimicrobials when there is no other treatment alterna-

tive and that, as future healthcare workers, we are key in this.

As student delegation we served as a great example of how powerful it can be to join forces and use the diverse and unique

knowledge from the different fields in creating solutions to currently existing global public health issues. We were a very

enthusiastic and driven team and it was fantastic to be part of that team. The World Health Organizations’ mandate is “the

attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health”. As future veterinarians we can contribute to this mandate

by stressing the importance of involving human-animal-environmental health collaboration in addressing the (veterinary)

public health threats we currently face. Of course there was also time for fun during this week! With the delegation we

had some great Swiss cheese fondue, spent our lunch breaks at the beautiful WHO rooftop and went out for drinks with

the students from IFMSA.

I would like to thank IPSF for inviting IVSA to be part of their delegation and I would like to thank the IVSA ExCo and SCOH

for giving me the opportunity to represent our association during the WHO EB, it was an unforgettable experience! The

69th World Health Assembly takes place 23-28 May 2016 and here the focus will be on the specific health agenda set by

the EB.



February 2016

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VPH Journal 6th edition

Documents

Transcript of VPH Journal 6th edition