VBB is pleased to be classified as an Australia Partner Organisation (APO) of the Australian Youth Ambassador for Development Program. This program is funded by AusAID, the Australian Government’s overseas aid agency. Skilled Australians between the ages of 18-30 years are placed in assignments in developing countries in the Asia Pacific region. Our VBB Board Member, Dr Anna Dean (pictured on the right), will be spending 12 months in Hanoi, Viet Nam, from July 2008. She will be working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), within the United Nations system. Her role will focus on zoonoses, which are infectious diseases that are transmissible between animals and humans – an important area, considering that 75% of newly emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses (such as SARS or avian influenza). Anna will draw on her experiences working with VBB in the Sikkim Anti-Rabies and Animal Health Program in India in 2006.

As an APO, VBB will act as a mentor for Anna during her assignment, working alongside WHO. VBB will play an important role in strengthening the relationship between Australia and the Asia Pacific region, promoting capacity building and development. We wish Anna well in Hanoi!

For more information on the Australian Youth Ambassador for Development Program, please visit www.ayad.com.au

To learn more about WHO, please visit www.who.int

The Traveling Vet

Dr. Mark Westman graduated from The University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (First Class Honours) in 2003. Since graduation he has worked tirelessly at the Sydney RSPCA, focusing particularly on improving the profile of the RSPCA through the media. Dr. Westman aims to combine his media skills and his passion for improving human health and animal welfare in The Travelling Vet.

"The Travelling Vet visits the northeastern Indian Himalayas to investigate what is being done to address the problem of rabies. Each year in India rabies accounts for 30 000 human deaths – a greater burden than any other country in the world. Globally an estimated 55 000 people still die from rabies following the bite of an infected dog. Dr. Mark Westman finds a team of locals who, with support from the Indian government and Australian organisation Vets Beyond Borders, is determined to drastically reduce this number. "

Dr Westman is a motivated and passionate volunteer who has worked for the RSPCA in Papua New Guinea, PAC in Thailand and Vets Beyond Borders in India. During 2007 Dr Westman travelled to Sikkim to volunteer for Vets Beyond Borders on the SARAH programme. During his placement he produced The Traveling Vet which documents Mark's trip to India and his work on the Sarah programme in Sikkim.