Human & Wildlife Health
Newsletter: Volume1, Issue 1 - April 2004
 Throughout
history pathogens have traveled with humans to every corner of
the earth. Today, due to international commerce, before one realizes
they are sick or even exhibit symptoms of an infection, one can
transport a pathogen around the world.
With the knowledge that several strains of the virus that causes
AIDS (HIV) are the result of cross-species transmissions from
non-human primates to humans, and that other wildlife pathogens
(such as Ebola, SARS, monkey pox, influenza, etc.) are the results
of similar cross-species jumps from wildlife into humans, there
is an urgent need to understand the potential threats to human
health posed by wildlife pathogens. Biologists, conservationists
and health workers are on the frontlines of this research.
Of particular concern are global conservation "hotspots",
like Liberia. FPI and its colleagues are integrating long-term
efforts to understand the cultural and nutritional aspects of
the wildlife harvest and trade, and the interactions of local
people and wildlife with a new human/wildlife health surveillance
program in rural Liberia.
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