scholarly journals Establishing National Multisectoral Coordination and collaboration mechanisms to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone 2016–2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Agbo ◽  
Lionel Gbaguidi ◽  
Chethana Biliyar ◽  
Seydou Sylla ◽  
Mukeh Fahnbulleh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
One Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Health Threats ◽  
R Project ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The One

Abstract Background The governments of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have acknowledged that weak health systems and poor coordination of efforts hampered effectiveness of the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak response. The bitter experience of the Ebola outbreak response served as an important catalyst for increased efforts to comply with World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway capacities, and Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) goals. In November 2016, an interministerial meeting held in Dakar, Senegal, resulted in formalized commitments from the three nations to strengthen resilience to health threats by establishing a Regional Strategic Roadmap to institutionalize the One Health approach. Since then, each country has made significant progress towards establishing National One Health Platforms to coordinate health security interventions, in collaboration with international partners. This paper outlines the methodology and results of these efforts for the period June 2016–January 2019, with a specific focus on activities supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Preparedness & Response (P&R) project. Objectives In support of the West African Health Organization’s November 2016 Regional Strategic Roadmap for institutionalization of the One Health approach, the Preparedness & Response (P&R) project worked in coordination with national partners in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to establish multisectoral, One Health coordinating mechanisms. Methodology The global USAID-funded P&R project was launched in 2014 to support the achievement of this objective, and began coordinating with partners in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in 2016 to tailor its multi-step conceptual framework to fit the priorities and operating constraints of national stakeholders. Organized in phases of Collaboration (building key relationships), Formalization (defining and establishing a coordination structure), and Implementation (using newfound coordination to produce better health security outcomes), the framework features steps such as One Health sensitizations for multisectoral national stakeholders, development of One Health platform terms of reference and other operating guidelines, and application of these tools to coordination of technical assistance during outbreaks. Results In Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, in less than 3 yrs there has been a marked improvement in cross-sectoral coordination on health security actions. All three countries have passed legislation establishing permanent multisectoral coordination mechanisms referred to in this document as National One Health Platforms, or simply Platforms; instituted an annual mechanism for assessing capacity and performance of these platforms to lead health security actions; and have undertaken key steps towards developing and updating National Preparedness & Response Plans which truly reflect the multisectoral nature of emerging disease threats. However, multisectoral coordination is a work in progress: government stakeholders and their international partners continue to work together to further strengthen national ownership and investment in the newly established Platforms. Conclusion and next steps Newly established Platforms in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone offer a long-term structure for coordinating health security actions. However, given the short period of time since their formalization, they depend on continued national, regional, and international resources to build from recent progress and further improve capacity and performance. Regional programs such as the World Bank Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) project are of critical importance in keeping the momentum going. The highlighted progress and outputs to date provide reasons and motivation for continued, longer-term investment in the Platforms.

Obstacles to Claiming Permanence and Injury-Relatedness for “Posttraumatic” Headache

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Robert J. Barth
Keyword(s):  
Complete Recovery ◽  
World Health ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Posttraumatic Headache ◽  
Sixth Edition ◽  
Causative Relationship ◽  
Short Period ◽  
The One ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Subjective Reports

Abstract “Posttraumatic” headaches claims are controversial because they are subjective reports often provided in the complex of litigation, and the underlying pathogenesis is not defined. This article reviews principles and scientific considerations in the AMAGuides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) that should be noted by evaluators who examine such cases. Some examples in the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, may seem to imply that mild head trauma can cause permanent impairment due to headache. The author examines scientific findings that present obstacles to claiming that concussion or mild traumatic brain injury is a cause of permanent headache. The World Health Organization, for example, found a favorable prognosis for posttraumatic headache, and complete recovery over a short period of time was the norm. Other studies have highlighted the lack of a dose-response correlation between trauma and prolonged headache complaints, both in terms of the frequency and the severity of trauma. On the one hand, scientific studies have failed to support the hypothesis of a causative relationship between trauma and permanent or prolonged headaches; on the other hand, non–trauma-related factors are strongly associated with complaints of prolonged headache.

scholarly journals One Health for neglected tropical diseases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Laing ◽  
Marco Antonio Natal Vigilato ◽  
Sarah Cleaveland ◽  
S M Thumbi ◽  
Lucille Blumberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
One Health ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Shared Environment ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Road Map ◽  
The One ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
And Control

Abstract The forthcoming World Health Organization road map for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) 2021–2030 recognises the complexity surrounding control and elimination of these 20 diseases of poverty. It emphasises the need for a paradigm shift from disease-specific interventions to holistic cross-cutting approaches coordinating with adjacent disciplines. The One Health approach exemplifies this shift, extending beyond a conventional model of zoonotic disease control to consider the interactions of human and animal health systems within their shared environment and the wider social and economic context. This approach can also promote sustainability and resilience within these systems. To achieve the global ambition on NTD elimination and control, political will, along with contextualised innovative scientific strategies, is required.

scholarly journals The Pearl River Declaration: a timely call for enhancing health security through fostering a regional one health collaboration in the Asia-Pacific

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noore Alam ◽  
Cordia Chu ◽  
Qianlin Li ◽  
Allison Crook ◽  
Maxine Whittaker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
One Health ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
World Health ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Epidemic Intelligence

Abstract The Second International Symposium on One Health Research (ISOHR) was held in Guangzhou city, China on 23–24 November 2019. A transdisciplinary collaborative approach, One Health (OH), was the central theme of the symposium which brought together more than 260 experts, scholars and emerging researchers from human health, veterinary health, food safety, environmental health and related disciplines and sectors. More than 50 organizations including World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control (USA), and Queensland Government (Australia) participated in the symposium. Scholars, experts and emerging researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in their respective fields delivered over 50 presentations at the symposium, highlighting the collective vulnerability to some of the emerging health challenges the region was combating. These included emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, food safety and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. The Pearl River Declaration, emanated from the symposium, called for establishing a One Health Cooperation Network in the Southeast Asia–Pacific region with a vision to strengthen regional health security through sharing each other’s knowledge and experience, and making investments in workforce development, scientific innovations such as vaccine research and development, sharing epidemic intelligence, risk identification, risk communication and appropriate response measures against emerging health threats.

A Scoping Review of the Effectiveness of Control Interventions of Human and Canine Rabies in an Effort to Rationalise the One Health Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-34
Author(s):  
Nur Asheila Abdul Taib ◽  
Razitasham Safii
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
One Health ◽  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Human Rabies ◽  
Canine Rabies ◽  
The One ◽  
Health Organization

  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rabies is one of the 18 neglected tropical diseases, together with dengue, leprosy, and trachoma, among others. Despite being a vaccine-preventable disease, the latest estimate of annual human rabies mortality from a 2015 study is as high as 59,000 throughout 150 countries. In human rabies, more than 95% of the cases are due to dog bites, making the elimination of canine rabies a global priority by fighting the disease at its animal source. World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) have warranted the One Health framework with the objective of complete eradication of dog-related human rabies by the year 2030. In an effort to rationalise the One Health approach, this scoping review found 17 studies on assessing the effectiveness of control interventions of human and canine rabies. Different strategies were implemented based on the endemicity of rabies in a particular country. Overall, the combined strategies using the One Health approach, which allows effective participation and communication between different agencies, have shown promising results in reducing rabies cases. These strategies will hopefully realise the goal in the Global Strategic Plan to achieve zero canine-mediated human rabies death by the year 2030.

scholarly journals Variability of Respiratory Rate Measurements in Neonates- Every Minute Counts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Njeru ◽  
Dustin T. Dunsmuir ◽  
William M. Macharia ◽  
J. Mark Ansermino
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Rate ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
World Health ◽  
Limits Of Agreement ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Respiratory Pathology ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Respiratory rate is difficult to measure, especially in neonates who have an irregular breathing pattern. The World Health Organisation recommends a one-minute count, but there is limited data to support this length of observation. We sought to evaluate agreement between the respiratory rate (RR) derived from capnography in neonates, over 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 120 seconds and 300 seconds, against the recommended 60 seconds.Methods: Neonates at two hospitals in Nairobi were recruited and had capnograph waveforms recorded using the Masimo Rad 97. A single high quality 5 minute epoch was randomly chosen from each subject. For each selected epoch, the mean RR was calculated using a breath-detection algorithm applied to the waveform. The RR in the first 60 seconds was compared to the mean RR measured over the first 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 120 seconds, full 300 seconds, and last 60 seconds. We calculated bias and limits of agreement for each comparison and used Bland-Altman plots for visual comparisons.Results: A total of 306 capnographs were analysed from individual subjects. The subjects had a median gestation age of 39 weeks with slightly more females (52.3%) than males (47.7%). The majority of the population were term neonates (70.1%) with 39 (12.8%) having a primary respiratory pathology. There was poor agreement between all the comparisons based on the limits of agreement [confidence interval], ranging between 11.9 [-6.79 to 6.23] breaths per minute in the one versus two minutes comparison, and 34.7 [-17.59 to 20.53] breaths per minute in the first versus last minute comparison. Worsening agreement was observed in plots with higher RRs.Conclusions: Neonates have high variability of RR, even over a short period of time. A slight degradation in the agreement is noted over periods shorter than one minute. However, this is smaller than observations done three minutes apart in the same subject. Longer periods of observation also reduce agreement. For device developers, precise synchronization is needed when comparing devices to reduce the impact of RR variation. For clinicians, where possible, continuous or repeated monitoring of neonates would be preferable to one time RR measurements.

scholarly journals Antibiotic Resistance: One Health One World Outlook

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bilal Aslam ◽  
Mohsin Khurshid ◽  
Muhammad Imran Arshad ◽  
Saima Muzammil ◽  
Maria Rasool ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Global Health ◽  
One Health ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
The One

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a growing public health concern worldwide, and it is now regarded as a critical One Health issue. One Health’s interconnected domains contribute to the emergence, evolution, and spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms on a local and global scale, which is a significant risk factor for global health. The persistence and spread of resistant microbial species, and the association of determinants at the human-animal-environment interface can alter microbial genomes, resulting in resistant superbugs in various niches. ABR is motivated by a well-established link between three domains: human, animal, and environmental health. As a result, addressing ABR through the One Health approach makes sense. Several countries have implemented national action plans based on the One Health approach to combat antibiotic-resistant microbes, following the Tripartite’s Commitment Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The ABR has been identified as a global health concern, and efforts are being made to mitigate this global health threat. To summarize, global interdisciplinary and unified approaches based on One Health principles are required to limit the ABR dissemination cycle, raise awareness and education about antibiotic use, and promote policy, advocacy, and antimicrobial stewardship.

scholarly journals The Pearl River Declaration: a timely call for enhancing health security through fostering a regional One Health collaboration in the Asia-Pacific

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noore Alam ◽  
Cordia Chu ◽  
Qianlin Li ◽  
Allison Crook ◽  
Maxine Whittaker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
One Health ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
World Health ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Pearl River ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Epidemic Intelligence

Abstract The Second International Symposium on One Health Research (ISOHR) was held in Guangzhou city, China on 23–24 November 2019. A transdisciplinary collaborative approach, One Health (OH), was the central theme of the symposium which brought together more than 260 experts, scholars and emerging researchers from human health, veterinary health, food safety, environmental health and related disciplines and sectors. More than 50 organizations including World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control (USA), and Queensland Government (Australia) participated in the symposium. Scholars, experts and emerging researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in their respective fields delivered over 50 presentations at the symposium, highlighting the collective vulnerability to some of the emerging health challenges the region was combating. These included emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, food safety and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. The Pearl River Declaration, emanated from the symposium, called for establishing a One Health Cooperation Network in the Southeast Asia–Pacific region with a vision to strengthen regional health security through sharing each other’s knowledge and experience, and making investments in workforce development, scientific innovations such as vaccine research and development, sharing epidemic intelligence, risk identification, risk communication and appropriate response measures against emerging health threats.

scholarly journals India to envision One Health movement for confronting emerging health threats: From concept to approach toward institutionalization

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-176
Author(s):  
Prejit Nambiar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
One Health ◽  
National Policy ◽  
World Health ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Health Threats ◽  
Future Policy ◽  
Health Organization

The author's key role in advocating and leading One Health (OH) initiatives in India (especially in Kerala), review the need for and progress of OH from concept to approach and proposes its institutionalization as the way forward. India is currently facing many health threats such as antimicrobial resistance, environmental health hazards, and food safety risks and most importantly, zoonotic diseases such as Nipah, Avian Influenza, Scrub typhus, Congo fever, Kyasanur forest disease, COVID-19, and leptospirosis that grossly impact country's economy. The recent pandemics had exposed the gaps in public health policy and government is prepared to commit on the OH approach and to invest more on public health infrastructure. Further, as challenges have increased in recent years, OH approach was clearly advocated by the experts not only to cope up the pandemic but also to manage the infodemic by promoting the timely dissemination of accurate information. Right from the endorsement of OH in 2007 by India's Prime minister to the present fight against COVID-19 pandemic, the actions to control and manage the disease was ideally oriented toward a collaborative approach. Last year (2019), the representatives from relevant ministries and department had a ground-breaking dialog to develop charter and constitute a National policy on OH. Recently, Health Ministers of the Member States of the World Health Organization South-East Asia signed "Delhi declaration" where the key essence was to implement intersectoral coordination mechanisms following the "OH" approach. India's future policy intervention will emphasize on strengthening of integrated public health labs and contributing to building a national institutional platform for OH to boost research initiatives. Taking stock of OH happenings, resources, challenges, and priorities, the implementation strategy has been proposed across human, animal and environmental health. The article further highlights the key areas that need OH intervention in India, the country's progress in OH and the success stories of OH for a sustainable action to confront emerging health threats.

scholarly journals Evaluation of primer pairs for microbiome profiling across a food chain from soils to humans within the One Health framework

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wasimuddin ◽  
Klaus Schlaeppi ◽  
Francesca Ronchi ◽  
Stephen L Leib ◽  
Matthias Erb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
One Health ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Human Faeces ◽  
Ecological Relationships ◽  
Reference Databases ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The One

AbstractThe “One Health” framework emphasizes the ecological relationships between soil, plant, animal and human health. Microbiomes play important roles in these relationships, as they modify the health and performance of the different compartments and influence the transfer of energy, matter and chemicals between them. Standardized methods to characterize microbiomes along food chains are, however, currently lacking. To address this methodological gap, we evaluated the performance of DNA extractions kits and commonly recommended primer pairs targeting different hypervariable regions (V3-V4, V4, V5-V6, V5-V6-V7) of the 16S rRNA gene, on microbiome samples along a model food chain, including soils, maize roots, cattle rumen, and cattle and human faeces. We also included faeces from gnotobiotic mice colonized with defined bacterial taxa and mock communities to confirm the robustness of our molecular and bioinformatic approaches on these defined low microbial diversity samples. Based on Amplicon Sequence Variants, the primer pair 515F-806R led to the highest estimates of species richness and diversity in all sample types and offered maximum diversity coverage of reference databases in in silico primer analysis. The influence of the DNA extraction kits was negligible compared to the influence of the choice of primer pairs. Comparing microbiomes using 515F-806R revealed that soil and root samples have the highest estimates of species richness and inter-sample variation. Species richness decreased gradually along the food chain, with the lowest richness observed in human faeces. Primer pair choice directly influenced the estimation of community changes (beta diversity) within and across compartments and may give rise to preferential detection of specific taxa. This work demonstrates why a standardized approach is necessary to analyse microbiomes within and between source compartments along food chains in the context of the One Health framework.

scholarly journals Executing a One Health approach during a zoonotic outbreak response

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Woodward ◽  
Melissa Kretschmer ◽  
Hayley Yaglom ◽  
Craig Levy ◽  
Peter Peter Mundschenk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Laboratory Testing ◽  
One Health ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Zoonotic Transmission ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Maricopa County ◽  
Kap Survey ◽  
The One

ObjectiveDemonstrate the utility of a One Health collaboration during a leptospirosis outbreak to expand outreach in human, environmental and animal health arenas.IntroductionThe One Health paradigm emphasizes cooperation and interdisciplinary collaboration to promote health and well-being among people, animals and the environment. Though the concept of One Health has been around since the 1800’s, the phrase “One Health” was more recently coined, and projects are being developed globally under its sponsorship. Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) has been working at a local level to enhance its One Health surveillance efforts and partnerships. This One Health partnership, comprised of representatives from the Arizona Department of Agriculture (ADA), Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Arizona Game and Fish Department (AzGFD), Arizona Veterinary Medicine Association (AzVMA), Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), MCDPH, Midwestern University (MWU) Veterinary School, and local veterinarians, was employed during a response to the recent emergence of leptospirosis in Maricopa County, Arizona.Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease typically prevalent in tropical regions, especially island countries or low-lying areas that flood. In the United States, CDC reports 100-200 human cases annually. Within the last five years, there have been two confirmed travel-associated human cases reported in Maricopa County. However, no locally acquired human or canine leptospirosis cases were reported.Two separate clusters of canine leptospirosis were reported in Maricopa County in 2016; the first was detected in February among canines within a household. To increase awareness in the veterinary community, the AzVMA published an article summarizing the cluster. This article might have aided in the identification of a second larger cluster in November that involved multiple veterinary and boarding facilities throughout Maricopa County. Following both clusters, capacity increased for canine and human surveillance, laboratory testing, and environmental remediation, and discussions were initiated regarding wildlife testing through the efforts of the One Health team.MethodsA coordinated review of canine medical records verified suspicion of leptospirosis within the exposed canine population. A CDC questionnaire was modified by the One Health team and facilities were visited to identify possible sources of canine infection.A Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP) survey was distributed through the AzVMA to guide veterinary education efforts. Lecture series, educational materials, and health alerts were created with input from One Health agencies for physicians, veterinarians, dog boarding facilities, and owners.CDC subject matter experts assisted in the implementation of a serosurvey of both dog owners and veterinary staff to determine if zoonotic transmission had occurred at the home, veterinary clinic or boarding facility. CDC laboratory testing provided leptospirosis speciation of canine urine specimens.ResultsMedical records were abstracted for 79 suspect leptospirosis canine cases and 48 owners were interviewed to assess their risk and exposure factors for their dogs. Prior to the visit, some facilities had already implemented self-directed infection control activities. No procedural gaps were identified at the four canine boarding facilities and veterinary clinics visited.The KAP survey was completed by 216 Arizona veterinarians and technicians. Educational outreach included three AzVMA newsletter articles distributed to approximately 1,100 registered veterinarians, one fact sheet regarding the leptospirosis vaccine, and three factsheets targeting prevention and infection control messages for boarding facilities, veterinary clinics and the home. A three-part lecture series presented jointly by ADHS, ADA, MCDPH, and MWU was attended by approximately 150 veterinarians. A health alert about the possibility of leptospirosis human cases was distributed by MCDPH to healthcare providers.Eighty-five dogs with either compatible symptoms or exposure were tested through the CDC laboratory, 68 (80%) were positive. Canine testing revealed different leptospirosis species between the two clusters, suggesting it was unlikely that they had a common source of exposure. No zoonotic transmission was identified among the 118 people tested in the serosurvey.ConclusionsPre-existing connections between public health and animal health partners helped facilitate and expand laboratory testing, diagnosis, reporting, outbreak tracking and prevention. The serosurvey provided a novel opportunity to identify cases amongst exposed people and provided insight into zoonotic transmission. Information gained from the KAP survey provided a gap analysis in veterinary services and guided education efforts. Since July 2017, no new canine cases have been reported to public health. However, further studies to identify sources of transmission in wildlife are being developed. The collaborative efforts of multiple agencies culminated in a robust outbreak response and the strengthened processes and relationships can be leveraged for future emerging diseases.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document