JCU Vet Science students are working in Zambia help the country to help in their disease control and prevention

Professor Bruce Gummow, from JCU’s College of Public Health, Medical, Medical and Veterinary Science, said JCU had an agreement with the Zambian Government to support JCU veterinary PhD students working on disease surveillance, control and prevention in that country.

“We have a multinational agreement involving South Africa, Zambia and Australia and a multi-institutional agreement between the Zambian veterinary services, University of Pretoria in South Africa, Charles Sturt University and JCU,” Professor Gummow said.

Professor Bruce Gummow visited Zambia in October and met with senior state veterinary officers and directors of veterinary science to discuss continued collaboration between JCU and Veterinary Services within Zambia.

“Zambia sits in the same tropical zone as northern Queensland and there are many climatic similarities between their region and ours,” he said.

“JCU is currently involved in empowering female village poultry farmers by teaching them economic principles of poultry farming that have resulted in increased production over the year that the project has been running and a decrease in disease mortality.

“Many of these women are widows as a result of the HIV epidemic and poultry is an important source of income and protein for them and their children.

“The project serves as an example of JCU’s expertise in the application of One Health principles within the Tropics.

“By improving the production and health of the village chickens, the quality of life and health of the villagers has been impacted. The lessons learnt in Zambia have direct applications to many of our neighbouring countries and by extension, to Australia’s own biosecurity.”