ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar

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ICBAS abre as portas à cidade para Dia One Health

Programa aberto à comunidade inclui apresentações de investigação, um debate sobre alterações climáticas e oficinas de ciência para crianças.

O que podem as algas fazer para tornar a aquacultura mais sustentável? Poderão as cianobactérias contribuir para a prevenção da doença de Alzheimer? E como poderão ser consideradas as relações entre os animais de companhia e a saúde humana no contexto clínico? Estas são algumas das perguntas que vão marcar a tarde de 7 de novembro, no Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) da Universidade do Porto, para assinalar o Dia Internacional One Health.

A decorrer no Edifício Abel Salazar, o evento “Uma Saúde: Clima, Ciência e Futuro!” inicia-se às 15h00 com apresentações de projetos de investigação que cruzam diferentes áreas científicas e demonstram como a investigação pode contribuir para responder a questões atuais. A moderar esta sessão sobre “O Futuro da Ciência: Uma Saúde em Ação” estará Inês Almas, da Ciência Viva – Agência Nacional para a Cultura Científica e Tecnológica.

Às 17h00, o debate centra-se na “Saúde num Clima em Mudança” e contará com os contributos de Catarina Araújo, vice-presidente da Câmara Municipal do Porto, Francisco Ferreira, presidente da ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável, e João Paulo Magalhães, vice-presidente da Associação Nacional de Médicos de Saúde Pública. Em discussão estarão os efeitos das alterações climáticas na saúde e a importância de respostas que articulem diferentes áreas de conhecimento e intervenção.

Read the full text here.

Source: Notícias UP. Image: ICBAS.

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Neo discovers Planet Earth: now available in English

Originally published in 2025 by the One Health Office of the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) at the University of Porto, the children’s book Neo discovers Planet Earth aims to raise awareness among young readers of the importance of protecting human and animal health and the environment, highlighting how closely they are interconnected.

Throughout the story, Neo, a visitor from another planet, discovers, with Mia’s help, how people, animals and the environment depend on one another. Through everyday situations, such as vaccination, interacting with animals, using public transport and protecting natural spaces, the book introduces the principles of the One Health approach in a simple and accessible way.

Printed copies were distributed as part of the ‘One Health in Schools’ initiative, promoted by the One Health Office, and to patients and families at the Centro Materno-Infantil do Norte (CMIN) and visitors to the ULS Santo António Museum.

The story now reaches an international audience, with its translation into English and the free availability of digital editions in both Portuguese and English. This initiative expands access to the book and brings the One Health message to more children, families and communities.

Download the book for free:

– Portuguese: [O Neo descobre o Planeta Terra – PDF]

– English: [Neo Discovers Planet Earth – PDF]

Images: ICBAS and AE de Valadares.

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The ICBAS programme “One Health in Schools” delivered educational activities to around 200 students

Between January and April 2026, the ICBAS One Health Office, within the educational programme "One Health at Schools", carried out visits to five schools, involving ten classes and approximately 200 students from primary to secondary education.

The sessions took place at the Valadares School Cluster (Junqueira Primary School and Marinha Primary School), the António Sérgio School Cluster (Marco Primary School), the Oliveira Júnior School Cluster (Oliveira Júnior Secondary School), and Colégio Internato Claret.

During the visits, the activities “Pets: Discovering, Caring and Interacting!”, “The importance of drinking water”, “Exploring zoonotic diseases”, and “From Marine Litter to the Laboratory” were carried out, promoting health, environmental, and animal welfare literacy among younger students.

In the activity “Pets: Discovering, Caring and Interacting!”, students explored the impact of companion animals on human health and the environment, reflecting on the importance of animal welfare. The session included interaction with a certified dog for animal-assisted interventions, highlighting the human–animal bond and the benefits of this interaction.

In “The Importance of Drinking Water”, participants explored issues related to the impact of limited access to safe water on human, animal, and environmental health. The activity also included a hands-on exercise in building a water filter using recycled materials, raising students’ awareness of the global challenges surrounding access to safe drinking water.

In “Exploring Zoonotic Diseases”, students examined diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans, their links to ecosystems and human practices, fostering reflection on the interdependence between human, animal, and environmental health.

In “From Marine Litter to the Laboratory”, students explored the impact of marine pollution on ecosystems and environmental health, reflecting on the role of each citizen in preventing this problem. The session included innovative hands-on experiments using colorimetric sensors developed from recycled plastic, enabling the detection of water contaminants and raising awareness of the importance of environmental monitoring, recycling, and the protection of water resources.

Through these initiatives, the ICBAS One Health Office continues to strengthen its commitment to promoting scientific literacy and the One Health approach within the school community, encouraging younger students to understand current health challenges in an integrated, participatory, and interdisciplinary way.

Images: ICBAS.

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Family members of ICBAS staff discover the One Health concept

On 15 and 16 April, the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto held an educational event for a very special audience: the children and young relatives of its staff. The event, organised by Andreia Mendes from the Social Responsibility Unit and Begoña Pérez from the One Health Office, aimed to promote scientific literacy among young people through activities based on the One Health approach.

“We wanted to show the children what we do here at ICBAS, but in an interactive way adapted to their ages. Our main goals were to spark scientific curiosity and provide learning moments in a dynamic and inspiring environment. This connection to our School holds great emotional and institutional value, both for staff and their families, not only because it helps to spread the One Health concept, but also, who knows, it might inspire greater awareness when it comes to future academic choices,” explains Andreia Mendes.

Approximately 20 children took part in the sessions, which were tailored to different age groups. On 15 April, participants aged 10 to 14 explored the importance of clean water and the inequalities in access to quality water across different regions of the world through an activity entitled “Water, a resource for all?” led by Lúcia Gomes, a research intern at the Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Ecology. The following day, younger participants, aged 6 and above, interacted with a therapy dog from the Ânimas Association while learning about the basic principles of pet welfare and its positive impact on human health, as well as the prevention of zoonotic diseases (transmissible between animals and humans).

Begoña Pérez, responsible for designing the activities, highlighted that “children understand the One Health message very well and enthusiastically share it with their families. It is a way of educating future generations and, indirectly, raising adults’ awareness of the importance of integrated health.”

This was the first edition of an event entirely aimed at the families of staff, which the organisers plan to repeat: “This experience has shown that there is interest for more events of this kind, so it is worth investing in the future, perhaps with new topics,” concludes the organisation.

Image: ICBAS.

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ICBAS raises awareness among young students about the importance of water.

A group of students from Marco Primary School in Vila Nova de Gaia recently visited the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto for an activity focused on the importance of water. This activity was part of the educational project “One Health in Schools” promoted by the ICBAS One Health Office.

The initiative included a visit to the ICBAS Aquatic Organisms Facility and the Laboratory of Hydrobiology and Ecology, microscopic analysis of planktonic organisms found in water, and a visit to the Crystal Palace Gardens to observe aquatic ecosystems and biological indicators of environmental quality.

Read the full article here.

Source: Notícias UP; Image: ICBAS.

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“One Health Pet Awards” distinguem iniciativa do ICBAS

The activity 'One Health in Schools', developed by the One Health Office of the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto, received one of the five awards in the “Merit & Relevance” category at the One Health Pet Awards. The awards were presented on 28 November during a ceremony held in Lisbon.

This recognition “validates the effort we have been making to place the One Health approach on various agendas, which also involves promoting the concept among the younger generation, who are the future,” stated Henrique Cyrne Carvalho, Director of ICBAS.

Read the full text here.

Source: Notícias UP.; Image: ICBAS.

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ICBAS brings One Health concept to schools

ICBAS leva o conceito One Health às escolas
ICBAS brings One Health concept to schools

Making children, teenagers, and young people aware that what we understand as Health also includes the health of animals, plants and the environment is the focus of the initiative "One Health in Schools". In April and May, the concept was presented in a simple and participatory way in two primary schools in the Greater Porto region. Two different challenges, chosen by each of them, were also launched, accompanied by a practical activity alluding to the topic."

The Escola do Marco, from Agrupamento de Escolas António Sérgio in Vila Nova de Gaia, chose the topic 'Pets - benefits and care'. The students were visited by Lola the dog and heard from her guardian, the veterinarian Luísa Guardão from ICBAS, about the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with our animals. The Escola da Caramila, from Agrupamento Fontes Pereira de Melo in Porto, chose to work on the theme 'Water, a good for everyone? After an initial talk, and thanks to the participation of marine biologist Lúcia Gomes from the ICBAS Hydrobiology laboratory, they learned how to manually make a homemade filter from recycled materials to purify water and to identify various characteristics of this precious liquid.

But the activities won't stop there. In June, these children will come to ICBAS to present the solutions to the challenges. Families will also be able to watch and learn from the research carried out by the little ones at home.

From September, the 'One Health in Schools' will reach other levels of education, with a similar format, but adapted to the motivations and expectations of each stage.

At Escola do Marco, the dog Lola was the protagonist of the activity 'Pets - benefits and care'. Image credits: Sofia A. Costa Lima.

The importance of access to drinking water was reinforced with the construction of a 'homemade' filter at the Escola da Caramila. Image credits: Sofia A. Costa Lima.
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