ABOUT GALVmed

GALVmed is protecting livestock and saving human lives and livelihoods, by making livestock vaccines, diagnostics and medicines accessible and affordable to the millions in developing countries for whom livestock is a lifeline. Healthier livestock can provide a pathway out of poverty and enhance food security. Livestock is a considerable, but often overlooked, economic driver in the developing world.

GALVmed was established in 2005 in Edinburgh and now has offices in Botswana and New Delhi, and representation in Kenya and Malawi. It is a not-for-profit global alliance of public, private and government partners and a registered charity in Scotland.

GALVmed’s objectives to 2015 are:

1   Develop data driven decision making tools for socio economic impact and understanding of markets

2   Develop vaccines for six animal health diseases critical to poverty reduction and livelihoods

3   Address Adoption Access Supply, creating value chains, defining sustainability

4   Communicate and network at all levels to gain buy in to paradigm change

GALVmed is currently funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development and the European Commission (the latter through AU-IBAR). Through this arrangement, between 2008 and 2011, GALVmed has been able bring together significant resources to:

·    Raise awareness about the links between livestock health, economic development and human health

·    Work towards efficient distribution of quality livestock diagnostics, vaccines and medicines to rural livestock keepers in developing countries

·    Support research and development to advance innovation in vaccines, pharmaceutical and diagnostic products, initially in relation to four prioritised diseases East Coast fever (affecting cattle), Newcastle disease (poultry) porcine cysticercosis (pigs and people) and Rift Valley fever (ruminants and people)

Through to 2010, GALVmed focused its efforts largely on sub-Saharan African, which accounts for the current priority diseases. As it expands in Southern Asian countries during 2011, and also potentially South American countries afflicted by extreme poverty, the animal diseases targeted will change.

In addition to threatening the livelihood of farmers in the developing world, some livestock diseases are zoonotic which means they can be passed from animals to humans. Some of the world’s deadliest diseases have been transmitted from animals to humans. For this reason, livestock diseases are of concern not only to a community’s economic stability and food security but also to the general health and well being of the people living there. As climate changes increase channels for tropical diseases to be transmitted, new threats also have emerged in livestock populations around the world.

GALVmed’s goal is to create sustainable animal health systems that will allow rural livestock farmers to identify and diagnose disease outbreaks, access vaccines and administer treatments. These systems will improve the overall health and economic viability of these communities for years to come.

Partners & Supporters
GALVmed depends on its relationships with leading agricultural NGOs, health and development agencies and pharmaceutical companies for communications and advocacy support.

Other Organisations & Projects

Leadership

Like all not-for-profit organisations, GALVmed has a team of professional managers and a board to provide oversight. They all have broad experience that includes a wide range of public bodies, private companies, and non-governmental organisations.

Policies
GALVmed knows how important it is to protect the intellectual property of organisations providing their research and development for the public good.

Careers
Read about current vacancies and opportunities to work with GALVmed.

Contacts
Contact us for more information on our work and partnerships.