They became friends on the Prairies — and are now working to fight a global health threat in Sri Lanka | 24CA News
Two scientists whose connection was sparked in Saskatchewan are working collectively from completely different sides of the globe to enhance animal well being in Sri Lanka, in hopes of addressing a possible world well being risk.
“Literally right here is where we sat together,” mentioned Joe Rubin, wanting round his lab on the University of Saskatchewan.
It’s the scene the place a global friendship shaped on the Prairies.
Rubin is a professor of veterinary microbiology on the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. He met fellow scientist Roshan Madalagama virtually 11 years in the past, when Madalagama got here to Saskatchewan from Sri Lanka as a graduate pupil.
“I believe that my second home is in Canada,” Madalagama instructed CBC from Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
“As a mentor, [Rubin] is one of the greatest people I’ve ever met in my life. There’s no doubt about that.”
Rubin supervised Madalagama as the 2 studied antimicrobial resistance, or AMR — the identical problem they’re tackling at present.
Only now, it is Madalagama taking the lead.
“As a supervisor, there is nothing as gratifying as when your student kind of surpasses you,” Rubin mentioned with amusing.
“Dr. Madalagama has gone on to do really amazing things. He’s been a really inspirational person in his country.”
Two scientists who first met in Saskatchewan have teamed up on completely different sides of the globe to handle an rising well being disaster: antimicrobial resistance.
AMR a ‘main world risk’: WHO
Antimicrobial resistance is what occurs when micro organism, fungus and parasites construct up resistance to remedy like antibiotics, making infections more durable to deal with and a few procedures riskier. It can occur because of the overuse or misuse of these medicines.
The World Health Organization deems AMR a serious world risk, and the charges are particularly excessive in Sri Lanka.
Up till final yr, Madalagama mentioned his nation did not monitor that resistance in animals — solely people.
The quick fear is that if it goes unchecked, vets in Sri Lanka will not be capable to deal with diseases in livestock — which many households rely upon for earnings or meals for their very own households.
“They’re really relying on it for their nutrition, so it’s not the bigger-scale agriculture that we may be familiar with here in Saskatchewan,” mentioned Rubin.
The overarching concern, nonetheless, is that resistance seen in animals might switch to people wherever.
“All the world is like one village — a global village,” mentioned Madalagama.
“So because of that, we need to have a very collective effort.”
Madalagama has helped the WHO and Sri Lanka’s authorities tackle antimicrobial resistance from a veterinary standpoint, however now he and Rubin are specializing in extra grassroots work.
Thanks to funding from the University of Saskatchewan, the 2 began a years-long effort to assist rural vets in Sri Lanka detect points sooner, and enhance coaching on the nation’s nationwide veterinary lab.
Their first endeavour was to create a lab guide, accessible from wherever on the planet. Rubin visited Sri Lanka in March, and plans on welcoming two vet technicians to Saskatoon this fall.
Madalagama mentioned he is excited his colleagues can study from Rubin, simply as he did.
“They really like to have these kinds of very good opportunities to learn from a Canadian expert,” he mentioned.
“He changed my life.”
