Emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, such as influenza, SARS, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, West Nile fever, prion diseases, tuberculosis and rabies, have recently been appearing with high frequency worldwide, and are becoming a major concern to public health. All of these diseases are zoonoses caused by agents that were originally harmless in their wild natural host animals and were occasionally transmitted to other animal species, including humans, causing infectious diseases. Changes in the global environment and human behavior contribute to the emergence of new diseases by changing transmission dynamics and bringing people into closer and more frequent contact with pathogens. In addition, the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections is also a public health concern. However, there was previously no research organization or network specializing in the control of zoonoses, and we also face a lack of human resources for the control of such diseases. One of the reasons for this is that research and education in medicine are targeted at maintaining and improving human and public health, while those in veterinary medicine are aimed at the prevention of infectious diseases and the clinical treatment of livestock and pets. Administrative barriers (i.e., medical and veterinary activities under the direction of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, respectively) have also been a hindrance. Thus, there is no research or educational/administrative basis for the control of zoonoses, since the issue falls between the two sciences of human and veterinary medicine. Zoonosis outbreaks often occur in the current worldwide situation, causing irrevocable damage to human lives due to the lack of clarity regarding the responsibility for zoonosis control measures. In our previous 21st COE program entitled Program of Excellence for Zoonosis Control, we investigated the ecology and transmission routes of zoonotic pathogens, established national and international networks, developed novel methods for the diagnosis, prevention and therapy of zoonoses, and provided training courses for personnel who conduct control management at the sites of disease outbreaks. To further these progressive activities, Hokkaido University established the Research Center for Zoonosis Control on April 1, 2005. The Program of Excellence for Zoonosis Control and the Research Center for Zoonosis Control have contributed to international education and scientific achievements for the control of zoonoses, and also act as a global surveillance center and influenza reference laboratories for the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the Office International des Epizooties (OIE). We have also conducted zoonosis control training courses for researchers from around the world. On the basis of these achievements and the international collaboration research network established, we propose a new organization “the International Collaboration Centers for Zoonosis Control” in this global COE program. We will foster zoonosis control doctors who are responsible for the control of zoonoses worldwide. Page Top Global COE Office Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido University N18,W9,Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0818 Japan Tel/Fax +81-11-706-5294 gcoe@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp