| News Brief Volume 5 Issue 4 16 Feb 2025 |
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There has been a lot going on these past two weeks. I decided to include Avian Flu info across public health and food safety.
We are now on Bluesky, so please follow us: @aafsphv.bsky.social
I am stepping down as Editor, and my last Issue will be March 1. AAFSPHV is looking for a veterinarian or veterinary student member, to take over as a Communication Specialist. It will be mostly social media posts and the newsletter with some website updates. The job posting is in this issue. You can apply at the AAFSPHV Job Board on our website.
Seeking Volunteers for Website
Also it would be great if we some of our members experienced with websites, would volunteer to do more frequent updates than the Editor can do. The website is non-html, but it does require a person who understands how to upload, add, and replace items about news updates. This could be as little as an hour a week to make a big difference in getting info on current public health and food safety news out there. We have the information, but need your help.
Please reach out to me at drdebonis@gmail.com or text 360-320-1777 to discuss. |
CORRECTION in News Brief Volume 5 Issue 3 Our AVMA Liaison is Dr. Jim Weisman. |
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Communication Specialist JOB POSTING Posted: February 2025
Location: 100 % Remote
Type: Estimate up to 10 Hours per Month
Stipend: TBD
Categories:
AAFSPHV Newsletter Editing, Newsletter Publishing, x Social Media Management and advise website updating.
Summary/Objective
We are seeking a dynamic Communications Specialist to serve as a writer/editor who will help drive the growth and strategic development of our American Association for Food Safety and Public Health Veterinarians (AAFSPHV) website, social media, and newsletter as a writer, editor, and administrator. The ideal candidate is a proactive self-starter with attention to detail and the ability to make well-
reasoned decisions, build strong relationships, and influence diverse stakeholders and communities to
further the mission of AAFSPHV. Maintaining membership in AAFSPHV is a plus. The ideal candidate would be a person who seeks deep involvement and mentorship from a wide array of veterinarians working in food safety and public health in industry, academia, federal/state/local government, etc.
The Communications Specialist will
● Work proactively to present innovative ideas that will further enhance the AAFSPHV website, social media, and newsletters.
● Collate submissions and write content for multiple social media platforms and report to the Board on social media analytics.
● Manage association communications to ensure timely and accurate delivery of a high-quality product including newsletters, news updates and webmail communications to members on timely topics.
● Manage special projects and initiatives including, but not limited to, producing podcasts and facilitating the development of other One Health communication issues as needed.
Competencies
1. Knowledge of association news publication production and scientific abstract reviews.
2. Experience in social media and outreach to engage the association’s community.
3. Excellent prioritization of tasks and projects to meet deadlines while collaborating with the
Executive Vice President and AAFSPHV Board members.
4. Experience working with virtual meetings and team collaboration platforms.
5. Knowledge and access of Canva, and website (non-html) editing.
Other Duties:
Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change over time in consultation with the successful
applicant. Mandatory Training will be provided by Interim Editor over the course of 1 month at a
mutually available time (approximately 3 hours, which can be divided into 2 or 3 sessions).
To Apply:
Qualified interested applicants must send a cover letter and resume to: executivevp@aafsphv.org
To learn more about AAFSPHV, please visit: https://aafsphv.org/
AAFSPHV is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
APPLY NOW HERE |
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PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE NEWS |
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Carie Alexander, Secretary AAFSPHV Board, submitted this article from the New England J of Med paper details findings on CDC-identified H5N1 cases in people March-October 2024.
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Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infections in Humans
by Shikha Garg, M.D., Katie Reinhart, Ph.D., Alexia Couture, M.P.H., Krista Kniss, M.P.H., C. Todd Davis, Ph.D., Marie K. Kirby, Ph.D., Erin L. Murray, Ph.D., +26, and Sonja J. Olsen, Ph.D.
Published December 31, 2024
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2414610
Abstract
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses have caused widespread infections in dairy cows and poultry in the United States, with sporadic human cases. We describe characteristics of human A(H5N1) cases identified from March through October 2024 in the United States. |
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| H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation |
What to know H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers. While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures. CDC is using its flu surveillance systems to monitor for H5 bird flu activity in people More info |
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| Jane Lewis, President-elect, has her Masters in Food Safety, and has this to share: Draft Guidance for Industry: Labeling of Plant-Based Alternatives to Animal-Derived Foods Docket Number: FDA-2022-D-1102
Issued by: Human Foods Program
This draft guidance provides FDA’s recommendations on best practices for naming and labeling of certain plant-based foods that are marketed and sold as alternatives for animal-derived foods (plant-based alternative foods), especially in the absence of a common or usual name for the product. These recommendations for manufacturers are intended to help ensure that consumers understand the nature or source of individual plant-based alternative foods, including differences among these products, and have the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.
Read More |
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Global Look at HPAI
Import Alert: Import Restrictions on Bosnia and Herzegovina due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Issuance Date: February 13, 2025 2:35 PM, U.S. Eastern Effective Date: Feb 10, 2025
Region: Bosnia and Herzegovina
As of the effective date listed above, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is restricting the importation of avian commodities from the region listed above due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Avian (bird, poultry, among other) commodities originating from or transiting the region are subject to HPAI-related import restrictions, such as those summarized below. Specific restrictions can differ by region and change as additional epidemiologic information becomes available. Details of region-specific import restrictions will be available through the Veterinary Services (VS) Permitting Assistant within a few weeks.
More information Bringing Live Animals and Germplasm into the United States From Another Country (Import), Animal Product Imports, and
Avian Influenza: disease, prevention, and control information. |
APHIS Identifies Third HPAI Spillover in Dairy Cattle
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On February 13, 2025, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed by whole genome sequence a detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype D1.1 in dairy cattle in Arizona. This confirmation was a result of State tracing and investigation, following an initial detection on silo testing under the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS).
More information |
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Dr. Katherine Waters, Executive VP |
| AAFSPHV Student AVMA Convention Scholarship
A scholarship of $500 is offered to help defray costs for an AAFSPHV student member to attend the AVMA Annual Convention July 18-22, 2025 in Washington DC.
To be eligible to apply for the AAFSPHV scholarship applicants must be:
A current AAFSPHV student member, and 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, or 4th year veterinary student (students graduating in May are eligible).
After the AVMA Convention, the scholarship recipient will be required to:
1. Provide proof of attendance to 8 C.E. units in any combination of the following
subsection categories under the Public and Corporate Practice Session: Animal Welfare, Comparative Medicine, Current Issues/Advances, Disaster Preparedness, Global Health Summit, Environmental Health Issues, Food Safety, One Health, or Preventive Medicine.
2. Describe his/her experience at the Convention as it relates to Public Health via a short- written report (to be published in the organization’s newsletter) and potentially at virtual annual meeting.
The Student Scholarship Selection Committee will objectively score student responses to screening questions. In the event of a tie, the Selection Committee will select the scholarship recipient(s) based on a review of the leading applications. Each year, depending on AAFSPHV resources, the Finance committee will determine the number of scholarships to be awarded. Interested students should complete and submit the information requested on this form and a current resume by March 31, 2025. Applicants will be notified electronically by the scholarship committee or exec VP by May 15, 2025
Read More |
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Laura Rothfeldt is the new AAFSPHV Director: State and Local. She is also our liaison to the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV)
Dr. Laura Rothfeldt joined the Arkansas Department of Health in 2018 as the State Public Health Veterinarian. Her focus is on zoonotic disease surveillance and outreach for the state of Arkansas, including rabies prevention and education, vector-borne disease epidemiology, and emerging infectious disease response. Laura retired as a Major from the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, and served at various sites around the world, including Arkansas as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer. Laura graduated from Oklahoma State University with a
Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to commissioning in the military, she practiced as a mixed animal veterinarian in rural Oklahoma. |
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ACVPM Continuing Education Webinar Beyond the Border: Role of Accredited Veterinarians in Foreign Animal Disease Outbreaks Feb 26, 2025 03:00 PM in Pacific Time (US and Canada) Description
This presentation will focus on the roles of an accredited veterinarian in reporting diseases of concern, as well as the importance of the accredited vet in the response and recovery aspects of Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) outbreaks. FADs, also known as Transboundary Diseases, have far reaching effects. From challenges in containing the spread of disease, to economic and social impacts of outbreaks we will explore how accredited veterinarians play an integral role in managing outbreaks of these diseases. This webinar has been granted up to one hour of CE credit by RACE. Participants must attend at least 50 minutes of the webinar to receive a one hour CE certificate. Register here.
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Please follow AAFSPHV on Social Media. We just joined bluesky |
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AAFSPHV News Brief Vol 5 Iss 4 www.aafsphv.org |
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