One Health Commission Teaming Up With World Rabies Day to Spread the 'One Healt...( MANHATTAN Kan. Sept...),Health

MANHATTAN, Kan., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with World Rabies Day efforts, Dr. Michael Cates, DVM, raised awareness about the One Health Commission at the 2009 Merial Rabies Symposium. Held on Kansas State University's campus, Dr. Cates, director of the university's Master of Public Health Program, and One Health Commission's secretary-treasurer, shared how zoonotic diseases, like rabies, are very much a "one health" concern.

"At least 60 percent of known pathogens, such as the one causing rabies, and approximately 75 percent of newly emerging human infectious diseases may be shared among multiple species, such as with wildlife and domesticated animals," said Dr. Cates, "which means that medical, veterinary, and environmental experts should be working more closely together toward better diagnostic, preventive or treatment measures."

One Health is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines - working locally, nationally, and globally - to address critical challenges and attain optimal health for people, domestic animals, wildlife, and our environment. To promote this endeavor, the One Health Commission was established to foster closer professional interactions, collaborations, and educational opportunities across the health sciences professions, together with their related disciplines, to improve the health of people, animals, and our environment.

During the Symposium, Dr. Cates identified examples of where One Health currently exists and where it is desperately needed. "Some universities and government agencies are very much focused on One Health efforts, and World Rabies Day is a great example of these groups creating a platform to engage the public in this endeavor. The One Health Commission hopes to broaden the academic presence, get global public health and animal health organizations actively involved, and encourage U.S. and state government agenc
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