News

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses threaten local economies, famers’ livelihood and food security in countries where they are considered endemic such as China, Vietnam, Egypt or Bangladesh. Due to their potential to reassort with human influenza viruses, some avian influenza viral strains are also a serious threat to public health.

Professor Dirk Pfeiffer (Chair Professor of One Health) was one of the international experts consulted for the update of the qualitative risk assessment of Chinese-origin H7N9 avian influenza spread in poultry and human exposure which the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has just published.

Professor Dirk Pfeiffer (Chair Professor of One Health) is the Deputy Director of the new ‘Global Challenges Research Fund One Health Poultry Hub’ which launched earlier this week.

Prof. Michael Reichel (Dean of Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences), Profs Shuk Han Cheng and Dirk Pfeiffer (Associate Deans) and Prof. David Hampson (Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health) were invited to spend a day visiting with South China Agricultural University (SCAU) in Guangzhou. They had fruitful discussions with the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Prof. Zeng-Ming Tang, and a number of colleagues.

City University of Hong Kong’s Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences (JCC) has been granted HK$35 million in funding by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) for three research projects to enhance the sustainability, health and production of local pig farms, poultry farms and fisheries.

(Prof. Dirk Pfeiffer) (Chair Professor of One Health/Associate Dean (Research) of Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences/Director of the Centre for Applied One Health Research and Policy Advice) has received the ‘Roger Morris Award for Outstanding Contribution to Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics’ at the 15th International Symposium of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE 15) which took place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on 12 - 16 November 2018.

Lisa Kohnle (Research Assistant at CityU’s Centre for Applied One Health Research and Policy Advice) recently travelled to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to give an oral presentation entitled ‘Global trade and infectious disease spread: risks associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative’ at the 5th Food Safety and Zoonoses Symposium for Asia Pacific from the 6th to the 7th of July 2018.

The department would like to welcome Dr Jackie Cardwell who is visiting us from the Royal Veterinary College, UK, to teach some sessions in the ‘One Health’ and the ‘Statistics for Evidence Based Biological and Veterinary Sciences’ course in the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine programme.The department would like to welcome Dr Jackie Cardwell who is visiting us from the Royal Veterinary College, UK, to teach some sessions in the ‘One Health’ and the ‘Statistics for Evidence Based Biological and Veterinary Sciences’ course in the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine programme. Jackie is a Senior Lecturer in Epidemiology and her research interests include One Health and infectious disease epidemiology, companion animal epidemiology and pedagogy in higher education, including student and professional mental health and wellbeing.

The department would like to welcome Prof. Katherine Albro Houpt who is joining us for three weeks to teach part of the ‘Animal Behaviour and Handling’ course in the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine programme.

Prof. Sophie St-Hilaire (Professor of Aquatic Animal Health) has been appointed as Associate Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health.