Source: Center for Food Security and Public Health College of Veterinary Medicine Iowa State University

zoonoses@iastate.edu

Press Contact: Glenda Dvorak, Assistant Director, Center for Food Security and Public Health: gdvorak@iastate.edu or Telephone 515-294-9300

Second session of a Free Online Zoonotic Disease Continuing Education Course Available

Ames, IA – Zoonotic diseases are an important health risk and concern for rural communities, and can have profound impacts on human health, animal health, food safety, public health, and producer livelihood. Due to great demand, a second session of this free course has been scheduled for June.

The course overviews the occurrence and impact of zoonotic diseases of agricultural animals – cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, equids and poultry – with an emphasis on prevention measures to reduce health risks for people and animals. The course also includes communication tips to promote zoonotic disease prevention strategies and veterinary practices in rural communities.

The Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine is offering a web-based course, Zoonoses: Protecting People and Animal in Rural Communities, June 2-22, 2021. Registration is now open and closes June 6 (or when capacity is reached).

The course is free, and open to any animal health, human health, or public health professional or student, or individual interested in the prevention of zoonotic diseases. To find out more and to register, visit https://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/product/zoonoses-course-rural/.

The course has been approved by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE®) for 5 hours of continuing education (non-interactive on-line; veterinarians or veterinary technicians).

Dr. Glenda Dvorak, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, course instructor, Assistant Director, CFSPH, explains, “Simple prevention measures and changes in behavior can be protective against a variety of zoonoses. Promoting the daily use of these basic prevention practices is the first step to minimizing zoonoses in rural communities.”

About the Center for Food Security and Public Health

The Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) is nationally and internationally recognized for providing educational materials and animal disease information. The CFSPH was established in 2002 through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase national and international preparedness for accidental or intentional introduction of diseases that threaten food production or public health.