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Cummings School receives Rockefeller Foundation grant
Date:1/30/2008

nd Response (PDS/R) project, focuses on early warning and early reaction to avian flu. Eight Tufts veterinarians and a senior administrator have worked with the Indonesian Government, non-government organizations, and private citizens to establish a nationwide, community-based network of 1,200 teams that monitor and respond to outbreaks of avian influenza. The Cummings team also assists the Ministry of Agriculture in training local government animal health officials in the basics of participatory epidemiology, poultry health, community mobilization, and disease control methods.

The PDS/R Project in Indonesia has taught us many things about how to mobilize communities against an infectious disease outbreak, and these lessons can be applied to controlling zoonotic diseases around the world, said Deborah Kochevar, DVM, PhD, dean of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Thanks to the support from the Rockefeller Foundation, we hope to expand this important public health project.

The project illustrates the essential role of veterinarians in public health, a concept embraced by the One Health Initiative. This initiative unites physicians, veterinarians, public health professionals and the private sector in efforts to promote, improve, and defend the health and well-being of all species and their environments. By fostering greater collaboration between veterinarians, physicians, and public health experts, the initiative seeks to gain a better understanding of zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted between species.

Indonesias size and geography presents an uncommon challenge for public health workers and veterinarians alike. The worlds fourth-largest country, it is inhabited by about 230 million people living on 6,000 islands, and speaking 170 local languages. Whats more, most of the countrys 1.4 billion poultry are in small backyard flocks held by private citizens to feed their families.

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Contact: Tom Keppeler
tom.keppeler@tufts.edu
508-839-7910
Tufts University, Health Sciences
Source:Eurekalert

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