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Within the framework of the World Organization for Animal Health’s (OIE's) ongoing training of wildlife focal points, a joint seminar for English speaking African and Middle Eastern countries was held in Arusha, Tanzania, March 16-19th, 2010. Focal points on wildlife from 21 African countries and 9 Middle Eastern countries attended. The workshop was organized by OIE Regional Representations in Botswana, Mali and Lebanon, along with the OIE Headquarters in France, the OIE Collaborating Centre on Training in Integrated Livestock and Wildlife Health and Management, based at the Dept. of Veterinary Tropical Diseases of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Pretoria, South Africa, and the OIE Collaborating Centre on Wildlife Disease Surveillance and Monitoring, Epidemiology and Management, based at the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC). Dr Scott McBurney, CCWHC Atlantic Region, was an invited lecturer and facilitator for the seminar. The training seminar provided OIE-centred subject material to the Focal Points on wildlife to ensure they had the necessary information, updates and skills to better assume their responsibilities and obligations towards the national OIE Delegates in their respective countries. The educational content was designed to strengthen interaction with the OIE, emphasizing adequate and timely notification of significant wildlife health issues. The interactive seminar used small working group sessions to promote discussion amongst the focal points regarding wildlife health surveillance in their own region; wildlife health professionals from the South African and Canadian OIE Collaborating Centres for Wildlife facilitated the dialogue.
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Fellowship from the Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA, to do Postdoctoral research in Dr Kanta Subbarao’s lab. At the NIH, Tomy developed a live attenuated vaccine against avian influenza A H7 subtype viruses for human use by taking advantage of reverse genetics technique. After his postdoc, he moved back to Canada in 2007 to accept the virologist position at the Veterinary Diagnostic Services of Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Currently, his research focuses on the spread and pathogenesis of pandemic H1N1-2009 influenza virus in commercial swine in Manitoba. He also has an Assistant Professor (Adjunct) appointment with the Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba.
will be able to simultaneously detect five economically important viruses of salmonids: ISAV, IPNV, IHNV, VHSV and Pancreas Disease virus. The new tool can be used for disease diagnosis, bio-surveillance and routine infectious agent screening. This assay will be validated as a diagnostic tool, and its sensitivity and specificity will be compared to the existing diagnostic tests offered at the Regional Diagnostic Virology Services such as PCR and/or Real Time PCR and virus isolation. If successful, this new multiplex diagnostic tool will be protected and added to the list of tests at AVC Diagnostic Services, and actively promoted among federal and provincial laboratories and aquaculture industry in Canada. The work will be done at the Mollusk Health Laboratory and the Regional Diagnostic Virology Services Laboratory. 
the biology department at UPEI. Jessica was co-supervised by Sarah Stewart-Clark and Dr. Pedro Quijon (Biology). Jessica conducted her research within the AVC LSC and the AVC Shellfish Health group with Dr Spencer Greenwood and Dr Jeff Davidson serving as committee members. Jessica was awarded the best honours presentation for 2010.
