Sea Temple of Pura Luhur, Uluwatu, south Bali, Indonesia. (CIA.gov)

Indonesia’s foot-and-mouth outbreak prompts international measures

'Viral fragments' detected in meats brought into Australia

Reuters — Australia and New Zealand say they’ve stepped up protections against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at their international airports following an outbreak of the disease in Indonesia. Travellers arriving in Australia from Indonesia will now be asked to walk across sanitation foot mats at airports, the latest measure to ramp up Australia’s biosecurity measures, the […] Read more



Protective equipment and good cleaning protocols go a long way in preventing the spread of disease.

Do animal diseases impact humans?

Animal Health with Roy Lewis: COVID-19 is an extreme example of disease transmission between animals and humans known as zoonosis

Not one animal-borne disease in recent memory has affected our lives more than COVID-19. There are lots of other diseases ranging from more minor ailments such as ringworm, to those that have major consequences such as toxoplasmosis or echinococcus (alveolar hydatid disease). Detailed descriptions can be found on line, but both can be very serious. […] Read more

One of main indications of Johne’s Disease is that cattle develop diarrhea and begin losing weight.

Due diligence with Johne’s disease

Have animals tested and cull infected cattle early

Johne’s disease (pronounced yo-knees) as we all know, is the paratuberculosis organism that in livestock can cause diarrhea, weight loss and eventually death from starvation or condemnation at slaughter due to emaciation. Animals that test positive, provided they are still in good body condition, can be slaughtered for human consumption, as the disease does not […] Read more


Proper testing can serve as a surveillance program to better understand what diseases kill livestock.

BSE testing and the positives to your cattle herd

Animal Health with Roy Lewis: Testing is still needed to demonstrate producers' due diligence

In Canada, we have to keep up our BSE testing numbers to maintain and improve our status as a “controlled (low-risk) BSE risk country.” Along with testing to determine if a suspicious or downer animal has BSE, as a side benefit the veterinarian conducting the autopsy and sample collection can also determine the cause of […] Read more

a calf and mother cow

Start with good stock — stay healthy

Some diseases are hard to fix — the best approach is to avoid them

Raising livestock for a living means that they have to be productive. They must reproduce, be healthy, and not be labour-intensive. Nobody makes a profit raising sick animals. The University of Guelph and Semex have been moving forward studying this from a genetic standpoint. This is exciting because with the increase in prevalence of Johne’s, producing healthy […] Read more



Herders with machine guns intensify South Sudan land, food woes

Rome | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Tensions are rising in South Sudan as displaced pastoralists migrate onto lands occupied by farming communities, stoking a new series of conflicts in the war-torn nation and threatening food supplies, a United Nations official said Friday. Due to changes in migration patterns because of violence, the world’s youngest country […] Read more


Photo: State of Delaware website

U.S. researchers develop CWD vaccine

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and elsewhere say that a vaccination they have developed to fight a brain-based, wasting syndrome among deer and other animals may hold promise on two additional fronts: Protecting U.S. livestock from contracting the disease, and preventing similar brain infections in humans. The study, to be published in Vaccine online […] Read more