http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/
February 17, 2010
February 5, 2010
September 24, 2009
September 12, 2009
New Article: Linkages between animal and human health sentinel data.
Authors: Scotch M, Odofin L, Rabinowitz P.
Journal: BMC Veterinary Research
Volume: 5
Issue: 15
Pages: on-line
Abstract: In order to identify priorities for building integrated surveillance systems that effectively model and predict human risk of zoonotic diseases, there is a need for improved understanding of the practical options for linking surveillance data of animals and humans. We conducted an analysis of the literature and characterized the linkage between animal and human health data. We discuss the findings in relation to zoonotic surveillance and the linkage of human and animal data. METHODS: The Canary Database, an online bibliographic database of animal-sentinel studies was searched and articles were classified according to four linkage categories. RESULTS: 465 studies were identified and assigned to linkage categories involving: descriptive, analytic, molecular, or no human outcomes of human and animal health. Descriptive linkage was the most common, whereby both animal and human health outcomes were presented, but without quantitative linkage between the two. Rarely, analytic linkage was utilized in which animal data was used to quantitatively predict human risk. The other two categories included molecular linkage, and no human outcomes, which present health outcomes in animals but not humans. DISCUSSION: We found limited use of animal data to quantitatively predict human risk and listed the methods from the literature that performed analytic linkage. The lack of analytic linkage in the literature might not be solely related to technological barriers including access to electronic database, statistical software packages, and Geographical Information System (GIS). Rather, the problem might be from a lack of understanding by researchers of the importance of animal data as a ’sentinel’ for human health. Researchers performing zoonotic surveillance should be aware of the value of animal-sentinel approaches for predicting human risk and consider analytic methods for linking animal and human data. Qualitative work needs to be done in order to examine researchers’ decisions in linkage strategies between animal and human data.
Article on PubMed
New Article: Human and animal sentinels for shared health risks.
Authors: Rabinowitz, P, Scotch M, Conti L
Journal: Veterinaria Italiana
Volume: 45
Issue: 1
Pages: 23-34
Abstract: The tracking of sentinel health events in humans in order to detect and manage disease risks facing a larger population is a well accepted technique applied to influenza, occupational conditions and emerging infectious diseases. Similarly, animal health professionals routinely track disease events in sentinel animal colonies and sentinel herds. The use of animals as sentinels for human health threats, or of humans as sentinels for animal disease risk, dates back at least to the era when coal miners brought caged canaries into mines to provide early warning of toxic gases. Yet the full potential of linking animal and human health information to provide warning of such ‘shared risks’ from environmental hazards has not been realised. Reasons appear to include the professional segregation of human and animal health communities, the separation of human and animal surveillance data and evidence gaps in the linkages between human and animal responses to environmental health hazards. The ‘One Health initiative’ and growing international collaboration in response to pandemic threats, coupled with development in the fields of informatics and genomics, hold promise for improved sentinel event coordination in order to detect and reduce environmental health threats shared between species.
Link to article on journal’s website.
December 2, 2008
Surveillance For Human and Animal Disease: Progress and Pitfalls
On October 3, 2008, Dr. Rabinowitz presented Surveillance For Human and Animal Disease: Progress and Pitfalls at Princeton University’s Seminar on Biosecurity, Biotechnology and Global Health. View the slides!
October 24, 2006
Canary Database Reports Podcasts 1 & 2
We’re happy to announce our first Canary Database Reports podcasts, hosted by Peter and Dan. Episode one features an introduction to the Canary Database, from its origins to its latest features. Episode two features a discussion of our recent paper on Animals as Sentinels of Bioterrorism Agents.
We think that these discussions will be a useful addition to our resources, and we have additional episodes planned in the near future, so stay tuned!
To subscribe to the Canary Database Reports podcast, visit iTunes here or point other podcast catchers right at our podcast feed: podcast.canarydatabase.org/feed.xml.
Let us know what you think!
August 3, 2006
New features: Full text article links
The Canary Database now attempts to create links to library full text link servers (known in libraries as “OpenURL resolvers”) for many hundreds of libraries. If you’re using the Canary Database from an academic campus, there’s a good chance you’ll see links from articles in our database back to your own library’s online journals. Follow these links to get to full text just like you would any other time you see the link buttons from your library!
We’re not certain, but we think this is the first time a small resource like ours has featured this kind of linking. If you want to know how to add this feature to your own database, contact us and we’ll fill you in.
March 20, 2006
New Article: Animals as Sentinels of Bioterrorism Agents
Animals as Sentinels of Bioterrorism Agents
Authors: Rabinowitz P, Gordon Z, Chudnov D, Wilcox M, Odofin L, Liu A, et al.
Journal: Emerg Infect Dis.
Year: 2006 Volume: 12 Issue: 4
ISSN: 1080-6059
Our latest publication is now available online!
Abstract:
“We conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature from 1966 to 2005 to determine whether animals could provide early warning of a bioterrorism attack, serve as markers for ongoing exposure risk, and amplify or propagate a bioterrorism outbreak. We found evidence that, for certain bioterrorism agents, pets, wildlife, or livestock could provide early warning and that for other agents, humans would likely manifest symptoms before illness could be detected in animals. After an acute attack, active surveillance of wild or domestic animal populations could help identify many ongoing exposure risks. If certain bioterrorism agents found their way into animal populations, they could spread widely through animal-to-animal transmission and prove difficult to control. The public health infrastructure must look beyond passive surveillance of acute animal disease events to build capacity for active surveillance and intervention efforts to detect and control ongoing outbreaks of disease in domestic and wild animal populations.”
March 1, 2006
Create an account to save records, sets
New at canarydatabase.org is the ability to save records that interest you. Registered users can save any record with a single click, and can save records into different sets however you like. For example, if you’re studying sheep as sentinel animals, and separately preparing a paper on animals as sentinels of bioterrorism, you could create one set for each — “sheep”, and “bioterrorism”, and then save any records you find in the database to one, the other, or both sets. All with just a few quick clicks!
To get started, register for an account using the link at left. Check your email inbox for a verification message, and when you’ve followed its instructions (they’re easy, we promise!), log in to the site.
Now that you’re logged in, you’ll see checkboxes next to all the records you find in the database. Click them to save them… it’s that easy!
To review your saved records, or limit a search to only your saved records, click on the link for My page at left. You’ll be able to see and search your records right there, and from here you can also get started creating sets.
Saving records in sets is just as easy as saving records… click a record you want to save, and your sets will automatically be listed right there under the record. Click the set name to save it into, and you’re done!
It’s all easy, useful, and best of all… it’s free!
