Zoonotic Disease Fair to cover important topics for Texas

By Sally Crocker

Zoo
 
UNTHSC students, faculty and staff are invited to the 2nd Annual Zoonotic Disease Fair from noon to 3 p.m. on Nov. 21 to learn about some of the common diseases found in Texas that can be passed from animals to humans.

“It pays to be aware,” said public health student Emily Blankenship, who is helping to organize the event with fellow Environmental and Occupational Health classmates.

“Typhus, once considered almost eradicated in the U.S., is back on the rise in Texas. This potentially fatal disease transmitted by fleas joins the growing list of tropical infections impacting the state,” Blankenship said. “In August, a Texas dairy issued recalls on raw milk found to contain drug-resistant Brucella bacteria. And Listeria outbreaks in Texas food production have made news over the last several years. With climate change, we also expect to see more and different zoonotic disease threats moving in.”

The theme of the event is “In Our Backyard,” featuring games, food, prizes and brief presentations by speakers from the Tarrant County Public Health Department and UNTHSC School of Public Health.

Assistant Professor Katherine Fogelberg, DVM, PhD, will speak from noon to 12:20 p.m. on One Health, a global initiative recognizing the interconnectedness of the health of people, animals and the environment. One Health promotes an interdisciplinary approach to population health among veterinarians, physicians, public health officials and other health professions.

From 12:20 to 12:40 p.m., Dr. Vinny Taneja, Director, Tarrant County Public Health, will talk about re-emerging diseases from developing countries.

Russell W. Jones, MPH, Tarrant County Public Health Chief Epidemiologist, will speak on brucellosis exposure in hospitals from 12:40 to 1 p.m.

Come-and-go games and activities are scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m.

The event will be held in MET 109-111.

For more information, contact Emily Blankenship at eb0219@my.unthsc.edu or 817-901-4040.

Recent News

Kari Northeim
  • Our People
|Sep 28, 2023

HSC’s Dr. Kari Northeim and Parker County collaborators awarded SAMHSA grant for rural EMS training and education

  Dr. Kari Northeim, School of Public Health assistant professor of population and community health at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, has been awarded the SAMHSA Rural EMS Training and Education grant in conjunction with HSC community partners, Parke...
Graci Finco
  • Research
|Sep 28, 2023

SBS researchers publish innovative study in Nature Scientific Reports 

People with leg amputations, including those with diabetes, run the risk of overuse injuries like osteoarthritis, muscle atrophy or bone breaks in their intact limbs.   Now, new research is quantifying the impacts of amputations and diabetes, a leading cause of amputation, on those overuse ...
Frank Filipetto Cropped For Social
  • On Campus
|Sep 28, 2023

HSC’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine to host symposium on ‘Creating Change in Health Care Delivery’

Americans have soured on the U.S. health care system, according to a Gallup poll taken earlier this year. Most of those surveyed rate health care quality as subpar, including 31% saying it is “only fair” and 21% — a new high — calling it “poor.” The U.S. ranked nearly last compared w...
Tarri Wyre
  • On Campus
|Sep 26, 2023

SaferCare Texas empowers Community Health Workers to complete HSC Mental Wellness microcredential

Tarri Wyre saw the growing need to expand her mental health education. The community health worker and ambulatory care manager for Memorial Hermann Health in Houston turned to the Mental Wellness microcredential, offered by The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth’s SaferC...