International Capacity Development – The Centre For Coastal Health

Identification and Assessment of Socio-Environmental Risk Settings for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) Transmission and Re-emergence in Nepal

The Centre for Coastal Health, along with collaborating Canadian and Nepalese researchers, is involved in a three year project that aims to reduce the vulnerability of at-risk populations to the current Japanese encephalitis (JE) threat in Nepal. To accomplish this, We will develop a socio-ecological description of the determinants of risk for JE in Nepal, build and support capacity for multi-sector collaboration in JE prevention and control (using eco-health principles), and assess implications of research findings for public health, animal health and community planning to reduce vulnerability to JE threats and to increase resiliance.

Since its first outbreak in Nepal in 1978, JE has been seasonally endemic in the lowland plains of the Terai region of Nepal – a region bordering the northern states of India and the source of most JE cases in the country. Through ongoing surveillance, surveys and outbreak investigations, JE has now been documented to be endemic in many districts throughout Nepal. The high mortality and disability rates of JE have made the disease a public health priority for Nepal.

The prerequisite for early warning and preparedness for vectorborne disease control is an understanding of the factors involved in the genesis of epidemics and behaviour of the disease in inter-epidemic periods; such an understanding requires an integrated adaptive approach that can recognize and work with the complex interaction of inter-related and constantly changing social-environmental relationships. The objective of this project is to apply an ecohealth lens to JE in Nepal to develop strategic advice to governments and communities for targeted interventions to reduce population vulnerability to the current JE threat and improve planning to become more resilient and prepared for anticipated changes in the diseases epidemiology.

* References have been removed for the purpose of this project summary

Web-Enabled Veterinary Public Health Networking in Sri Lanka PDF Print E-mail

Dr. Tim DeJager has been leading this 2-year project to develop a knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) network of veterinary public health peers and trainees within Sri Lanka and between Sri Lanka and other nations to broaden information flows, improve knowledge relationships across ministries, universities, and nations, and increase capacity for mentored training of future researchers and practitioners. After input from stakeholders in workshops, focus groups, surveys, and meetings, the key output of the project, a social networking web site, has been developed and launched to achieve these goals. The site, called Veterinarians for One Health, is a community social networking platform that enables people to access as well as contribute key knowledge resources, to stay informed of important news and upcoming events, to mentor students, and to communicate with each other through forming groups, and using chat and email. Other projects will be able to use the site to help connect teams and stakeholders. Visit the site at http://www.vetsforonehealth.org.

Prevention and Control of Pandemics and Emerging Infectious Diseases PDF Print E-mail

Three-quarters of all recent emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) have arisen from animals, many in tropical areas. The global public health community now recognizes that the control of disease in animals is the principle way to reduce human exposure and prevent EIDs. Veterinary Public Health (VPH) is the branch of biomedical science best suited to do this. Unfortunately, VPH capacities are rudimentary in many Low and Middle Income countries even showing a marked decline in recent decades. Our goal is to provide evidence to enhance the prominence of VPH within academia, governments and communities in S and SE Asia to create enthusiasm and sustainable support for regional VPH research and action. We will do this by developing the components of a VPH system in Sri Lanka and then extend this knowledge through a regional network.

Dr. Craig Stephen is the recipient of a Teasdale-Corti Team Grant from the Global Health Research Initiative. In all, 13 research teams, pairing Canadian health researchers with counterparts in the developing world, will receive more than $20 million. This veterinary public health project is the only veterinary project to be funded in this round of Teasdale-Corti grants.

Project Information:

Jennifer Dawson-Coates
Project Manager (Canada)
phone: 250-753-3245 local 2370
fax: 250-740-6256