Our publications
JEV in India
Research_
Human pathogen surveillance
Keeping watch on priority zoonotic pathogens
Monitoring the circulation of pathogens is essential for effective disease surveillance, outbreak response, and public health management
Several dangerous pathogens can spillover from wildlife to livestock animals and humans. Transmission typically occurs at places of interface between wildlife and humans and/or their domesticated animals. This interface expands as forested landscapes are fragmented and lost, which is currently accelerating at an alarming pace with devasting impact on the agrarian communities that live in close proximity. Moreover, sometimes pathogens that spillover from wildlife to humans are able to transmit efficiently between humans, with potential pandemic consequences (e.g. SARS-CoV-2). Given that India has some of the most important biodiversity hotpots in the world and the fact that these places are under increasing pressure, monitoring the circulation of pathogens at the growing interface between wildlife and humans is critical to prevent and/or control spillover and potential future pandemics.
This project in South India is investigating the landscape epidemiology and infection ecology of priority zoonotic pathogens to understand the ways in which specific interactions between hosts, vectors, and the abiotic environment shape risk and can be translated to One Health surveillance and prevention solutions.
Sydney ID's One Health Node Leader, Dr Michael Walsh is a landscape epidemiologist. Combining methods from spatial and infectious disease epidemiology with applications of biogeography, community ecology, and macroecology to employ transdisciplinary One Health approaches to zoonosis inference, prediction, surveillance, and prevention. Michael is particularly interested in the ways in which interactions between wildlife, domesticated animals, and humans in anthropogenic landscapes facilitate pathogen spillover from primary reservoir hosts to novel hosts.
Our research on Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) reminds us of the need for vigilant surveillance, research, and public health measures to protect vulnerable populations.
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