Local Action Global Health

Values, commitment and passion at core of decision-making

Fri, 22 May 2009 13:04:00 GMT

Author and Harvard University Business School professor Clayton Christensen writes that meeting the pace of change requires taking stock of your organization’s resources, processes and values. This accounting determines whether your organization is up to the challenge.

Critical to these three is values. This typically has an ethical connotation, but it is more than this – It aligns with decision-making, prioritizing, and alignment with strategic direction.

The management of disease in a growing global economy and the visible and unknown impacts of disease outbreaks becomes a value-based decision….and one that can impact the survival of humans and animals directly equal to or perhaps greater than other decisions that our organizations and governments must make

Lesson learned #7: Governance gap prompts grassroots leadership

Tue, 12 May 2009 18:21:00 GMT

Increasingly, events such as the H1N1 outbreak and a lack of resources expose governments’ inability to implement comprehensive safety in a global economy. As trade expands, other organizations and companies must be prepared to self-govern to avoid calamities that extend beyond the existing governance structure.

Starting from the edges and flowing upward, bottom-up leadership is part of the

Don't call it swine flu

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:52:00 GMT

"Swine flu" is nothing of the sort, says the World Animal Health body on Monday, April 27th.

As it contains bird and animal components and no pig has been found ill, a more logical name would be one that's geographically-based.

"North American influenza" would be more logical, based on geographic origin just like Spanish influenza.

Already, fears about 'infected pigs' and pork-products are having drastic economic effects on the pork industry.

Swine flu and staying healthy

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:48:00 GMT

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make the following recommendations to stay healthy during the outbreak of swine flu:

- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

- Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

- If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Science engineers susceptible poultry

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:16:00 GMT

UC-Davis researchers revealed that the world's poultry has become increasingly susceptible to diseases to an engineered lack of diversity.

Try the CDC flu wicket quiz

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:05:00 GMT

Try out the CDC's Flu quiz wicket -- How much do you know about the flu?

Lesson learned #6: Social movement the key to disease management

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:06:00 GMT

The convergence of human health, animals and diseases starts with biological processes. They are also, however, stimulated and sustained by social dilemmas. Examples include inadequate health care and disease monitoring, contaminated natural resources, overpopulation and overcrowding, and transportation systems that move diseases farther and faster than ever before.

Bird flu panic at an end?

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:26:00 GMT

Is bird flu falling off the radar of public concern?

While an avian flu pandemic was top news in 2008, has it faded from the public view?

Read full story

Lesson learned #5: Better animal health means better human health

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Most human infectious diseases start with animals. Investing in animal health can benefit human health more than we realize.

Stuff and more stuff...

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:35:00 GMT

Where does our "stuff" come from?

Where does it go?

Who makes it and what does it cost?

Check out this informative video: www.storyofstuff.com