Environmental change and vectorborne zoonotic disease emergence and spread in Australia

A prolonged and intense La Nina event in 2011 culminated with an unprecedented rise in several zoonotic vectorborne diseases across the Australian landscape.  It is ten years on, and a very similar environmental event is unfolding.

A significant Ross river fever outbreak was reported in southeast Queensland in 2020.  Canine ehrlichiosis advanced across north and central Australia in 2021. Earlier this year, Japanese Encephalitis re-emerged and was reported along south-eastern Australia.

In this talk,  Ricardo Soares Magalhães (LVM MSc PhD DiplECVPH) will present Australian data from 2011 and evidence from China on these diseases.  He will discuss insights from these findings to the present and future of zoonotic vectorborne diseases in animal and human populations in Australia. 

Join us online

You're welcome to join our Zoom seminar on 11 May from 12pm to 12.30pm. (No registration required).  

About our presenter

Ricardo Soares Magalhães (LVM MSc PhD DiplECVPH) is a veterinarian and a zoonotic disease epidemiologist with qualifications in both  human and veterinary public health. He is Associate Professor of Population Health and Biosecurity and Director of the Queensland Alliance for One Health Science within the University of Queensland, Australia. His team’s research program focuses on evaluating how biosecurity vulnerabilities of animal industries and companion animal ownership impact on the burden of zoonotic diseases in animal and human populations. His lab uses contemporary epidemiological tools, including spatial modelling and molecular epidemiology to answer key questions regarding the effectiveness of zoonotic disease control strategies in Australia and developing countries.