Chapters from the book: Animals and Public Health
Here’s my list of five headline-grabbing stories in 2014 that show just how connected human health and animal protection are: 1. Chris Christie Sells Out Humans and Animals After reports of his bridge scandal, the New Jersey Governor’s 2016 presidential […]
Animal Protection is Human Protection, Too!
“Animal protection is now mainstream.” This was announced at the 5th annual Classy Awards held in San Diego this weekend. The Classy Awards Ceremony honors outstanding nonprofit programs in eight major social sectors, including animal protection, education advancement, poverty and […]
I’m excited to have been interviewed by the wonderful folks at Our Hen House. EPISODE 208: “THE FURTHER A SOCIETY DRIFTS FROM THE TRUTH, THE MORE IT WILL HATE THOSE THAT SPEAK IT.” “Joining us today is Dr. Aysha Akhtar, […]
Alvin Tarlov, Director of the Texas Institute for Society and Health, explained that ‘there are five major categories of influence on health: genes and associated biology; health behaviors, such as dietary habits, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, and physical fitness; […]
The following is a typical case illustrating the linkage between child abuse and animal abuse. One morning, an Atlanta contractor pulled up to a house where he was to perform some work. As he got out of his truck, he […]
On 20 August 1994, an international uproar was caused by an incident involving a female African elephant who went on a rampage in Honolulu, Hawaii. The animal, Tyke, was ‘performing’ during an event for Circus International when, before hundreds of […]
As disturbing as the wildlife trade is in fostering the development of new infectious diseases, recent events suggest that the biggest and most imminent threat may lie much closer to home. Between 2007 and 2008, farmers in the Philippines noticed […]
Even if we could, no matter how unlikely, contain the pathogens running amok among factory farms, we are still faced with a much larger problem. This is because there are just too many animals being produced for food: animals grown […]
We now have a choice before us. Do we use our knowledge to continue to condemn animals to incalculable harm, in turn jeopardizing our own health, or do we use that knowledge to evolve the practice of public health and […]
An international group of scientists recently ended a year-long moratorium on controversial research on potentially deadly strains of the H5N1 avian flu virus. The purpose of the research was to engineer strains of H5N1 in order to understand how it might […]
Do we need to make a choice to either protect animals or humans? This is certainly what those who profit from hurting animals would like everyone to believe. Advocates of animal experimentation especially employ the fallacy of a false dilemma: […]
Dr. Anthony Robbins, Co-Editor of the Journal of Public Health Policy and former director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and of the National Vaccine Program headline my article in his latest post on Science Blog’s The […]
Many critical public health issues require non-traditional approaches. Although many novel strategies are used, one approach not widely applied involves improving the treatment of animals. Emerging infectious diseases are pressing public health challenges that could benefit from improving the treatment […]
Kathy Freston in the Huffington Post writes: I’ve often said that by showing kindness to animals and eating fewer (or better yet, none) of them, we see personal health benefits — a reduction in heart disease, stroke, cancers, diabetes and […]
Tyler Cowen mentions the book in his post in the New York Times, titled “End Farm Subsidies and Treat Animals Better”: Tyler Cowen, author of: “An Economist Gets Lunch: New Rules for Everyday Foodies,” is a professor of economics at […]
Scientist and author Jonathan Balcombe takes a moment to interview Dr. Akhtar about her book, Animals and Public Health. By Jonathan Balcombe: Scientist & Author | Animal Treatment: Why It Matters for Human Health On the occasion of her new […]
ARC UK Correspondent, Peter Crosskey, talks to Dr Akhtar about her new book, Animals and Public Health: Why Treating Animals Better is Critical to Human Welfare
This past decade was, arguably, the decade of animals. More news stories covered animal welfare issues than ever before and some of the major events of the past decade involved animals. Animal protection has become a considerable social issue. But […]