Teaching tools for Ebola & public health diseases
Band Aid is a tried and tested method of public engagement, bringing Ebola to public attention and giving us all something we can do to help rather than just scaring us. What is also needed here, and in West Africa, is education. For a novel method of education, I bring you Giant Microbes, which are sold as teaching tools. They are soft plush “cuddly” toys, anthropomorphised versions of microscopic images of microbes, and provide information on the microbe and the disease it causes in the attached label. I own the Ebola virus toy seen in the photograph. For a novel method of education, I bring you Giant Microbes, which are sold as teaching tools. They are soft plush “cuddly” toys, anthropomorphised versions of microscopic images of microbes, and provide information on the microbe and the disease it causes in the attached label. I own the Ebola virus toy.
Ebola: a “filthy little virus” says Bob Geldorf
Following the launch of Band Aid 30 “Do they know its Christmas, Ebola song”, on X-factor [Sunday 16 November 2014], Bob Geldorf did the media rounds on the Monday morning including BBC 5live, to further drive home the message. People are dying from Ebola in West Africa because they are poor, living in countries without the health service infrastructure to stop it in its tracks, and “we are all just a plane ride away from it”. AS of that Monday, you can buy and download the song here via Amazon, Itunes and Google Play, or purchase the CD.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Targeted for Eradication
The FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have developed a detailed strategy for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) control under the umbrella of their Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs). However, it is clear that only a massive commitment of national and international resources would make FMD eradication possible as surveillance and monitoring over a long period is required. FMD is a highly infectious disease caused by a picornavirus, which affects cloven-hoofed animals, in particular cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and deer. Other animals including camelids and elephants can also be affected. The disease is notifiable, which means that the local veterinary services must be notified immediately if FMD is suspected.Although FMD does not pose a direct threat to human health, and is rarely fatal in animals, it can cause reduced milk yield, weight loss and lower fertility. The global annual cost of FMD in…
Veterinarians Target Next Virus for Eradication
Following the recent eradication of rinderpest virus in cattle (see blog), the veterinary profession is contemplating which viral disease of animals should be targeted for eradication next. This is not an easy task considering the vast number of viral diseases that plague livestock animals and have devastating effects on animal health, public health and people’s livelihoods. According to…
A new deadly virus
As the world’s attention has been focussed on the global financial crisis, little notice has been taken of the emergence of a new deadly disease in southern Africa. In September a woman tourist guide living near Lusaka, Zambia was evacuated to South Africa in a critical state. Her symptoms included fever myalgia, vomiting, diarrhoea, followed…