Earlybird deadline tomorrow for D.C. symposium on diseases humans get from other animals

Zoonoses, diseases transmitted from non-human animals to humans (such as the H1N1 virus), are becoming an increasingly significant concern in rural areas and other places with limited access to health care and disease prevention. Dr. Bonnie Buntain, a professor of public health at the University of Calgary, has emphasized the oft-neglected value of creating environments in which zoonoses have difficulty surviving. While it is important to deal with specific disease threats, Buntain argues we should place equal weight on prevention.

Buntain will be one of the featured speakers at Zoonoses: Understanding the Animal Agriculture and Human Health Connection, a Sept. 23-24 symposium in Washington, D.C., organized by Farm Foundation. The earlybird registration deadline for the event is tomorrow, Sept. 1. Early-bird registration is $300 and there is a special student rate of $175. Beginning Sept. 2, registration will be $350, with the student rate $200. For more information on the event, you can read our item from last week. --Charles Li, University of Kentucky College of Public Health, guest blogger