… “We must prevent this from happening again,” said Dr. Gerald Parker, Director of the Pandemic and Biosecurity Policy Program at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service. “This is not going to be our last pandemic.”

Dr. Peter Hotez, a Hagler Institute scholar at Texas A&M and a vaccine researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, agreed with the need for a bipartisan inquiry.” …

“ … Hotez, a physician, is one of the globe’s most influential people in health care through his work at Baylor and as co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development.

Parker, a veterinary scientist, is one of the nation’s top experts on defending against emerging public health threats after serving in bio defense leadership positions at the U.S. Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services. He also is associate dean for Global One Health at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. …”

“… Around two-thirds of CGIAR’s existing research portfolio is already directly relevant to tackling the coronavirus outbreak. The work of most immediate relevance encompasses four research pillars: (1) food systems, (2) One Health (the human-animal-environment health interface), (3) inclusive public programs for food security and nutrition and (4) policies and investments for crisis response, economic recovery and improved future resilience. …”

“Thanks to a Cummings Foundation $100,000 grant, The Fletcher School at Tufts University will launch a Global One Health Diplomacy Initiative dedicated to identifying holistic, interdisciplinary solutions to complex global health problems. The Initiative seeks to meet the need for effective global health diplomacy by combining The Fletcher School’s distinctive strengths in international law and diplomacy, social justice, and international peace and security, with the expertise in health and nutrition science, and human and veterinary medicine at Tufts’ health sciences schools. …”

“ … Disease as a social pathology

Horton foresees political parties actively recruiting more scientists, if only to meet the demands of a changed public. “Publics will no long view disease as a pathology of the body,” he predicts. “We will see disease as a pathology of society.” Medicine and other sciences will change as well, adopting the concept of “One Health” — that the health of humans and that of animals are linked. Universal health care will be not just a nice idea for rich countries, but a matter of self-preservation for rich and poor alike: “My health depends on your health. Your health depends on my health. We cannot escape one another.”

How we are to achieve a pandemic-proof society is up to us. But Richard Horton has pointed the way, and if we fail we will have no one to blame but ourselves.”

Press release Soulsby

https://eswi.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa61bff87462e909c53465135&id=3080d673c9&e=61168395e6

“Yes, venerable health institutions make mistakes…The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in health institutions that traditionally are looked to for hard information and guidance. …”

One Health umbrella graphic https://www.archive.onehealthinitiative.com/OneHealth2

VACCINATIONS: NEED, RISK AND BENEFITS PREAMBLE ADDED JUNE 2,2020 By Dr Michael W. Fox

Provided by:

Rohini R. Roopnarine DVM M.Phil, EdD (Higher Ed.),MRCVS 

Professor,
Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine,
and Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health,School of Medicine,
St George’s University,
True Blue Campus, P.O.Box 7,
Grenada, West Indies.
e-mail:rroopnarine@sgu.edu
Tel:444-4175 ext 3678

 … “Recently published research shows that nonhuman primates, cats, ferrets, and gold hamsters can be experimentally infected with COVID-19 and spread the infection to animals of the same species in laboratory settings,” said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, director of the CDC One Health Office and lead for the agency’s COVID-19 One Health Working Group, speaking on the Zoonoses and One Health Update call.

“Of note, pigs, chickens, and a duck did not become infected, based on the results of these studies.”

Dr. Behravesh explained that the findings come from a small number of animals and don’t indicate whether the animals can spread the infection to people.

There’s no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is present in U.S. wildlife, including bats, she said. Also, it isn’t clear whether the new coronavirus would sicken North American bat species.

“It appears that the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread from people to animals in some situations,” Dr. Behravesh said. “At this time, there is no evidence animals play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2.

“Based on limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading the virus to people is considered low.”

“ … Humans spend incredible amounts of time with their dogs—that’s especially true right now,” said Matthew Breen, professor of comparative oncology genetics at NC State and corresponding author of the paper. “If we develop ways to correlate dog disease with their exposures over time, it may give human-health professionals the opportunity to mitigate these exposures for both species. This study reinforces the concept of One Health, demonstrating that in addition to being our closest animal companions, our dogs truly are a sentinel species for health.”

“Today we are all in no doubt that there is One Health and One World. Recent climate and human health events show the consequences of business as usual. We recognise our partnership with animals and the planet needs to be rebalanced.”

Jun 4, 2020

Federal guidelines have been released to help employers keep offices as safe as possible, but there are a few risks you should know beforehand.

“ … The full set of CDC guidelines for offices can be found here, but it’s up to employers to perfectly adapt them in their own spaces — and that’s not an easy feat, says Aileen Maria Marty, M.D., an infectious disease professor at Florida International University’s College of Medicine and co-editor-in-chief of journal One Health. “The needs and risks apparent in a smaller office supporting six or seven administrative roles is vastly different than a vast office that might support hundreds of workers in a physical capacity, or those who need to meet face to face constantly,” she explains. If you’re wondering how the CDC guidelines may apply to you, Dr. Marty reviews the most apparent risks in a shared, enclosed office space of any kind — plus a few steps you can take to reduce your risk. …”