An international veterinary consultant lecturing at the University Wisconsin Monday said human and animal global health are in jeopardy, and "there seems to be a strong connection between them."

Guest lecturer David Sherman compared the 20th century with the biblical story of Noah, who gathered animals and his family in a boat to save them from extinction. Sherman said in many societies of the world, the "well-being of animals and humans is inseparable."

"Again we face the threat of global extinction, and this time the threat is not coming from God, it's coming from us," Sherman said. "We no longer need God to flood us with 40 days of rain."

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Sherman said, one in three amphibians, one in eight birds and one in four mammals are threatened with extinction globally.

"Nowadays it is not enough to simply care for the animals, we must also take responsibility to pilot the ark through troubled waters, for we are the new Noahs," Sherman said.

According to Sherman, for many communities in Africa and Southeast Asia, access to basic clinical veterinary services is vital to the livelihood of rural people throughout the developing world, but it is often unavailable.

"Animal disease control programs are also vital for protecting human health," Sherman said.

Global health initiatives need to focus on a "one-medicine" approach to curing global diseases, like the avian flu, according to Sherman.

"Avian influenza best illustrates the importance of the one health approach, with veterinarians, physicians, wildlife biologists, ecologists and epidemiologists all working together to address a complex problem," Sherman said.

According to Sherman, among the different medical approaches, veterinary medicine is a key factor for global health.

"When you provide veterinarian service, you're improving food security and improved nutrition, and … you can make livestock agriculture more sustainable," Sherman said.

Once that is done, Sherman added, there needs to a transboundary animal disease control to deal with zoonotic and emerging diseases.

The UW Center for Global Health is an initiative of the School of Medicine and Public Health, the School of Nursing, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Division of International Studies.

"We want to cross the traditional disciplinary boundaries of the campus," said Christopher Olsen, associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Veterinary Medicine and senior adviser for the Center of Global Health.

The lecture was an initiative of the UW Center for Global Health and part of a series of seminars running until March 2008.

The upcoming event will feature a lecture with Peter Mugyenyi, a Uganda-based doctor who will talk about HIV/AIDS in Africa, taking place 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, at 1309 Health Sciences Learning Center.