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Rabies: Promoting the communities outreach program and welfare of pet’s animals to prevent future zoonotic diseases in Cambodia. It is estimated that 75% of human diseases comes from the zoonotic diseases that spread from animals including domestic and wild animals. One of them, Rabies has threatened hundreds of people around the world including Cambodia. To eliminate Rabies, Cambodian government has implemented strategies to eliminate by 2025. Reducing the human risks is one among of those strategies that aiming to 1) getting the communities educated and aware to protect themselves, their families, and their regions; 2) increase to health care, vaccinations and medicine; and 3) stray dog population control and massive vaccination. To share the effort, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Royal University of Agriculture has partnered with Animal Rescue Cambodia (ARC), and Phnom Penh Animal Welfare Association (PPAWS) leading rabies awareness activity which is support by the SEAOHUN Small Grant 2021. The project aims 1) to train pet’s owner on rabies; 2) to preventing and reducing the pets expose to rabies through the vaccination, de-sexing, and other sanitation measures; and 3) to improve knowledge and skills of the pre-and in-service animal health professionals to prevent and control zoonotic disease such as Rabies. Surprisingly, the outcomes include: 97 pets’ owners have been increasing in knowledge about rabies after training. A total of 495 pets (130 dogs; 340 cats) received the rabies vaccination. 192 (20 dogs; 172 cats) of 347 pets have been successfully de-sexing; while 155 pets 145 dogs; 10 cats) supported by ARC for de-sexing. A total of 519 pets (153 dogs; 366 cats) received deworming. A total of 520 pets (181 dogs; 339 cats) received shampoo bathing. A total of 5 in-service and 5 pre-service indicated to improve their knowledge and skills on One Health approach to combat rabies. About 70 undergraduate veterinary students have been engaged in the program to gain the insight of the approach on rabies prevention activities. The project highlighted the successful outcomes for the approach to rabies prevention in Cambodia. Continuing the awareness of rabies and vaccinating/de-sexing pets across the veterinary clinics and extend to the communities contribute to the prevention of rabies in Cambodia. The team and students showing increase in knowledge and skills in one health and its approach for zoonosis prevention. We have followed up several team (from pre-service and in-service) to reflect what they learned and applied for their current work/study after the completion. We found all of them were very satisfied and showing their interest that project was beneficiary to their professions. “I have experienced good collaborating, planning, and managing while implementing the project. I acknowledged the project team, the SEAOHUN small grant 2021 that provided me a good opportunity to build my technical and soft skills as the professional veterinarian.” Miss. Uk Sovanpaktey, undergraduate vet students (selected student for working in project), faculty of veterinary medicine, Royal University of Agriculture and recently work at Animal Clinic in Phnom Penh. “I have gained much more knowledge about rabies and its prevention from the project. Furthermore, my team work, communication and consultation with pet owners, and ability of assisting in vaccination and de-sexing have been improved that lead me to be ready to perform well as a veterinarian professional.” Miss. Ouch Saoleap, a volunteer veterinary undergraduate of the faculty of veterinary medicine, Royal University of Agriculture. “My skills on the animal handling, vaccination, deworming, and de-sexing have been much more improved after joining this project. I learned that One Health Approach as used in this project is really good for preventing rabies in Cambodia. Surprisingly, partner (ARC) of the project give me an opportunity to conduct research thesis and training as the veterinarian professional.” Miss. Kim Socheatey, undergraduate vet students (selected student for working in project), faculty of veterinary medicine, Royal University of Agriculture. “As director of Animal Rescue Cambodia and MSc Shelter Medicine professional, I was very pleased to see the development of the project. Part of my academic and professional background focuses on High Quality High Volume Spay Neuter (HQHVSN). I see it as my responsibility to teach the highest and most modern standards of spay/neuter programs to the next generation of veterinary professionals, in order to provide the best possible standards for the animals we serve through spay/neuter campaigns. This project in particular showed that there is a large interest of young veterinary students wanting to learn high quality spay/neuter techniques and therefore, such projects are invaluable to set the pathway for future veterinary education in Cambodia. Moving forward from this project, I hope to see more veterinary students participating in internships and professional development programs in order to provide international veterinary standards to animals in Cambodia. Through my participation, I hope to have inspired students to become spay/neuter surgeons or veterinary technicians. Furthermore, I appreciate how the project has strengthened the positive collaboration between RUA and ARC by expanding beyond spay/neuter through lectures on animal welfare and internship opportunities for students.” Ms. Martina Mayr, director of Animal Rescue Cambodia and MSc in Shelter Medicine SEAOHUN 2022 Small Grants Project team leader: Miss. Saran Chhoey Team members: Prof. Dr. Kroesna Kang, Dr. Bunna CHEA, Dr. Phay Boureth, Mr. Dim Kanan, Miss. Kong Danin, Mr. Chhoem Changven, Miss. Kheav Eab - Personal protective equipment, distancing, and group size standards in this photo were consistent with local public health guidance and COVID-19 status in the specific country and time it was taken. This may not reflect best practices for all locations where COVID-19 is still spreading. -

Have you ever started to take an antibiotic on your own without a prescription? You bought 3 tablets of the medicine that made your uncle better a few weeks ago. Or maybe you know of someone who was sick with cough and fever and the doctor prescribed an antibiotic for a few days for cough and then forgot to take it when you started getting better? Or have you ever heard about prescription sharing? It is when members of one family may think that an antibiotic that worked for an infection of one member should work for everybody else. All of the above are examples of how we may unknowingly be using antimicrobials in a wrong way. And wrong use of antibiotics can encourage the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Because of just how often these misuse of these precious medicines may be happening, AMR is considered to be one of the most serious global threats to public health today. AMR has been further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. AMR is a complex phenomenon where the bugs (like bacteria, virus, fungi, parasite) remain unfazed and continue to thrive despite the presence of antimicrobials. It sounds like a simple operational mishap yet the truth is AMR can be a very daunting problem threatening to become the next silent pandemic. The 2022 Lancet article which describes the global burden of AMR in 2019 before the pandemic, warns us that mortality associated with AMR is close to 5million across the globe. Our country data shows high resistance rates for common pathogens like the E coli, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter baumanni and MRSA. And many are unaware of AMR, its presence amidst us and it implications in our lives. There is an urgent need to increase awareness on AMR and collectively attempt to control, prevent and event stop AMR! For all these reasons, the Philippine team took the heed of the World Health Organization and used the opportunity of the SEAOHUN Grant to expand the reach of AMR advocacy. Every year, the world dedicates one week to celebrate the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). It is set every November 18-24. In 2021, we worked on reaching as many Filipinos, groups, schools, universities, companies, government and private agencies, and personalities in the country in a full blast nationwide all-inclusive participation in the WAAW. We built broader collaborations between schools and universities in the PhilOHUN; and across agencies and institutions involved in human, animal and environmental health for a sustainable advocacy One Health response. We challenged all to eliminate misuse and overuse of antimicrobials whether as a prescriber, dispenser, user, distributor, producer or consumer and be part of the solution! So over the seven days of the 2021 WAAW, we filled each day with events, activities and contests from which we shared what AMR was and how we could stop it. There was something for just about everyone! The week started with a show of force and commitment called the High-Level Media Forum. All the big leaders of the stakeholders were there and gave their word that they will support the AMR activities including from the WHO, FAO, OIE, UNEP, the PhilOHUN and 9 local agencies. The biggest hit group are the human health providers. There are more than 1000 health facilities in our country. And doctors, nurses, pharmacists have been become with efforts towards helping the prescribers prescribe better. This is a program called Antimicrobial Stewardship(AMS). During the 2021 WAAW we reinvigorated the AMS spirit by tickling their competitive streaks and calling for the Best AMR Infographic! We also had days dedicated to those working in the Animal Health Sector, our friends in industry and consumer groups. But the “GameChangers” without doubt were the tandem of the Youth and the Teachers! 2021 was the first year that we were able to involve the Youth! Through the student organization from the University of the Philippines called the “Medical Students for Social Responsibility”. The students creatively developed a Youth Conference on AMR entitled with a catchy title “YOUth against AMR” with an additional AMR Tiktok contest. On the other end of this undeniably great investment-high yield AMR advocates are the selfless 37,000 teachers in the public schools. In addition to their webinars, they also launched two contests for students on AMR and what could be done: Best AMR Vlog and Best AMR Essay! The innovativeness, creativity and wide participation in all the contests were outstanding! All 17 regions of the country had entries to all the Youth AMR contests. SEAOHUN 2022 Small Grants Project team leader: Regina Berba MD Team members: Prof. Melbourne Talactac, Dr. Mario Panaligan, Dr. Anna Melissa S. Guerrero

The SEAOHUN 2022 Student Summit (3-5 September 2022), one of the preceding events of SEAOHUN 2022 International Conference was hosted by Kasetsart University (KU), Kamphaeng Saen campus, in collaboration with Thailand One Health University Network (THOHUN), and with the support from Chevron through the Strengthening One Health Education in Southeast Asia project. With the theme of “Fostering One Health Leaders”, the summit brought together a total of 41 participants (34 students and 7 faculty advisors) from different One Health disciplines from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. “Amazing experience with students from a variety of cultures and professions. Received theoretical information and also real-world experiences. We improved our One-Health core competencies through fun and inspiring activities. Definitely my pleasure and honor to participate in this event.” – Ms. Stephanie Chou, Student, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan. On the afternoon of 3 September, ice-breaking activities (fun marshmallow tower building challenge), One Health introduction lectures and case-based problem-solving exercises were organized to warm up students for the following two days. The welcome dinner followed later that night, showcasing a Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) special performance from KU students and cultural exchange performances from the eight country teams, bringing the students closer with colorful traditional dances and songs. The summit was officially opened on 4 September with warm welcome remarks from representatives of host and partner organizations, accompanied by graceful Thai Cultural dance performances from KU students. On that day, the students were mixed into four groups, joining field visits to four local farms with respective group assignments of on-site learning. Each group visited one plant farm (tomato or orchid) and one aquaculture farm (shrimp or goldfish). The students gained practical knowledge by learning the production process (plant farms), identifying possible risks and food security issues (aquaculture farms) from a One Health perspective. “The Student Summit bridges the students throughout Asia to exchange their experiences and cultures while creates the next generation of One Health workforce. These students will protect our world from future pandemic threats” - Dr. Terdsak Yano, Faculty Advisor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. On the last day, the students displayed their excellent teamwork through group presentations of their field visit experiences by applying the theoretical and practical One Health knowledge gained during the last two days. The presentations were followed by discussions and valuable feedback from lecturers and facilitators of THOHUN before wrapping up with the certificate awarding ceremony. The in-person event was filled with fun activities of team building exercises, interactive learning at the campus as well as practical field visits to local farms. The students had the opportunity to learn and expand their knowledge in technical and soft skills, including systems thinking and communications. Despite the language and cultural boundaries, the students from different parts of the region bonded in no time while working together, learning each other’s cultures, building friendships and strengthening their professional networks. Hosting these events is an essential part of SEAOHUN’s student engagement work to foster students in our region to become future One Health Leaders. To view and download photo:https://photos.seaohun.org/SEAOHUN2022StudentSummit

Oppotunity to join! the 1st Research Conference on AMR/AMU in Food Animals in the Asia-Pacific Region (AMRU-Asia Pacific) to be held on 6-8 February 2023. AMRU-Asia Pacific 2023 is the first research conference that will be a platform for bringing together stakeholders from industry, academia, and government as well as other interested parties all over the world in the same virtual conference for research on antimicrobial resistance (#AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) in Asian and Pacific food animal production. AMRU-Asia Pacific 2023 is a fully virtual event with no cost registration for all attendees. Deadline until 31 January 2023. The conference emphasizes the research on AMR and AMU for food animal production conducted in Asia Pacific. For more information about the conference please visit: http://amru-asiapacific.com/

We are excited to announce USAID is recruiting a second cohort for the Digital Youth Council to begin in February 2023! The International #Youth Digital Leadership Council or “Digital Youth Council” is a 12-member council of young leaders between the ages of 16 and 24 dedicated to addressing digital harm, which includes sexual violence and exploitation, cyberbullying, misinformation, and radical extremism. We are looking for young change-makers who are working at the intersection of digital platforms and safety to leverage technology, digital development, professional networks, and digital skills to reduce digital harm for children and youth. Click here! https://www.youthlead.org/digital-youth-council to find more information and submit your completed applications using the online application form here: https://www.youthlead.org/funding/call-applications-2022-international-youth-digital-leadership-council Deadline until 11:59 p.m. EST on December 15, 2022.

Dr. Thun Vathana, Prek Leap National Institute of Agriculture (PNIA) (formerly known as Prek Leap National College of Agriculture) Dr Thun started his career as a teacher at Royal University of Agriculture since 1996. Since then, he has had a significance experience working for various organizations in public, development and private sectors. He used to work as the Research Head and Adviser of Angkor Mikroheranhvatho Kampuchea (AMK) Co. Ltd and a Research Manager of Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). Dr Thun is currently the President of Prek Leap National College of Agriculture which focuses on education and research. Contribution to a better future through agricultural education and health programs is within the interest of Dr Thun.

Dr. Neil C.Tanquilut completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, MS (Veterinary Medicine) and PhD by Research from the University of the Philippines Los Banos. He specialized in Environmental Science for his doctoral program. He assessed the status of biosecurity in poultry farms in Central Luzon. Implementation of strict biosecurity measures in farms is crucial to prevent the occurrence of diseases especially those that affect humans. He is presently enjoying research grants from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Science and Technology. He is also involved in herbal medicine and natural product development. He is currently the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine of the Pampanga State Agricultural University. His research profile can be viewed at https://scholar.google.com.ph/citations?user=D3wjKnAAAAAJ&hl=en

Dr. Vannaphone Phouthana is a Vice Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, The National University of Laos, and He is also a Vice Chair of LAOHUN. He received his PhD. In Food microbes From Czech University of Life Science in 2012 and MS in Animal health from Khonkaen University, Thailand. Dr. Vannaphone Putthana Lecturer on Animal disease and medicine, Epidemiology, Food safety, One Health and food security, Transboundary animal diseases in Veterinary Medicine Department, Faculty of Agriculture, NUOL Since 2004. He has published more than 14 Articles and 3 book chapters and He has contributed Research project on safe pork in Savannakhet and Champasak provinces and Project coordinator on poultry value chain and field diseases investigation in five provinces of northern Laos and Project coordinator for parasitic food borne diseases in southern Laos, GREASE, CommAcross project. EU supported.

Woutrina A. Smith, DVM, MPVM, PhD. School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis. Project Director, USAID One Health Workforce – Next Generation Project Dr. Smith is the Associate Dean for Global Programs and a Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, USA. She leads the USAID One Health Workforce – Next Generation Project working with AFROHUN and SEAOHUN in 17 countries across Africa and Southeast Asia. Dr. Smith has worked on One Health research projects across Africa, Asia, and in the Americas, where multidisciplinary teams innovate together to solve complex health problems. She has received funding from diverse sources including the National Institutes of Health, the US Agency for International Development, the US Department of Defense, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support her research and training programs.

Dr. Hidayatulfathi Othman, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Professor Dr. Hidayatulfathi Othman’s research interests lies in mosquitoes; their biology and the control of vector particularly on the ecology control of Aedes mosquito. The focus of my work is being sought by people who works in vector control and have been referred on many occasions pertaining to the issue of mosquitoes and dengue.

Operationalizing the Environment Health Nexus in Asia and the Pacific: A Policy Guide on Opportunities for Enhancing Health, Biodiversity, Food System and Climate Action aims to support policymakers and stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region to address environment-health risks and safeguard human health and well-being while protecting ecosystems. Specifically, it provides an overview of concrete opportunities to mainstream the environment-health nexus in public policies in Asia and the Pacific, including those pertinent to health, biodiversity loss, food systems, and climate change. It also lays out pathways to strengthen the enabling factors for operationalizing an environmentally comprehensive One Health approach. These enabling factors include multisectoral governance; integrated environment and health data and assessment; nature-based solutions; human rights-based approaches; stakeholder engagement and capacity-building; integrated environment-health funding streams; and regional cooperation. Download and read the report at SEAOHUN recommanded publications https://www.seaohun.org/publications or visit https://www.unescap.org/kp/2022/policy-guide-environment-health-nexus

Dr. Malavanh Chittavong, from the Faculty of Agriculture at the National University of Laos.