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Taking a Cue from Vets

SCIENTISTS SAY IT’S TIME FOR VETERINARIANS AND PHYSICIANS TO COMPARE NOTES.  LEARN WHY EXPERTS ARE BEGINNING TO BRIDGE THE MEDICAL GAP BETWEEN ANIMALS AND HUMANS ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE. 

WITH THE DECADES OLD EMERGENCE OF H-I-V AND MORE RECENT PERVASION OF AVIAN BIRD FLU, SCIENTISTS ARE TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT ANIMAL DISEASES FOR PREVENTION OF THE NEXT HUMAN EPIDEMIC.  BOTH H-I-V AND THE AVIAN FLU STARTED IN ANIMALS, AND LATER CROSSED THE SPECIES BOUNDARY TO INFECT HUMANS.  WHILE TWO SEPARATE AGENCIES CURRENTLY GOVERN THE HEALTH CARE OF HUMANS AND ANIMALS, RESEARCHERS SAY IN ORDER TO KEEP AN EYE ON EMERGING HUMAN EPIDEMICS, IT’S TIME FOR M-D’S AND VETS TO BEGIN SHARING DATA.  

VETERINARIANS CAN GET AN EARLY WARNING ON DISEASES THAT MAY SOON INFECT HUMANS.  BETTER COOPERATION AMONG VETERINARIANS, PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS, AND PHYSICIANS WILL HELP PREVENT ILLNESSES LIKE WEST NILE AND MAD COW DISEASE FROM GETTING A TOE-HOLD IN PEOPLE.

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM. 

Read more in USA Today.