Türkiye steps up brucellosis control by adopting One Health measures

Türkiye has taken a significant stride forward in the fight against brucellosis, a disease that affects both animals and people, by hosting a national workshop dedicated to its progressive control. The event took place from 26 to 28 November at the Pendik Veterinary Control Institute in Istanbul. In a One Health spirit, it brought together experts from the animal and public health sectors to jointly assess Türkiye’s brucellosis control capacities.

The workshop marked the official launch in Türkiye of the Staged Tool for the Elimination of Brucellosis (STEB), developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The STEB helps countries evaluate their brucellosis situation and plan effective, step-by-step strategies for its prevention and elimination. Türkiye’s engagement follows similar efforts in Central Asia and the Caucasus region.

“This is more than just a technical exercise”, said Daniel Beltran-Alcrudo, the Animal Health Officer leading the overarching project. “Brucellosis impacts lives, livelihoods and food safety. Effective control calls for cross-sectoral collaboration, involving farms, labs, hospitals and ministries.”

Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Health, and reference laboratories, spanning animal and human health institutions. More than 20 professionals joined forces to review existing capacities and identify gaps across five key areas: governance, surveillance, laboratory capacity, prevention and control, and communication. The workshop underscored the importance of the One Health approach, which brings together the animal, human and environmental health sectors.

The STEB assessment highlighted areas of strength, such as Türkiye’s longstanding vaccination programme and laboratory diagnosis capacities, as well as some weaknesses. Based on these findings, the group drafted a preliminary roadmap outlining the short-, medium-, and long-term priorities and next steps needed to strengthen cooperation and nationwide brucellosis control.

The workshop is part of a wider FAO-led initiative designed to strengthen brucellosis control in Türkiye. In the coming months, the project will roll out a series of complementary activities, including field-level surveys to better understand risk factors and awareness gaps; face-to-face and online training programmes targeting veterinarians, farmers and other stakeholders along the ruminant value chain; the development of outreach and training videos; and the testing of the Outbreak Costing Tool (OutCosT) to estimate the economic impact of brucellosis. The initiative also includes support for reviewing national legislation and One Health coordination mechanisms.

Türkiye’s commitment to tackling brucellosis reflects a broader recognition that zoonotic diseases transmitted between animals and humans demand coordinated, long-term strategies. With support from its partners and the continued engagement of national authorities, the country is well positioned to strengthen its brucellosis control programme, while protecting public health and rural livelihoods.
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The effort depicted is sponsored by the United States Department of Defense, Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The content of the information does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Federal Government of the United States, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

We would also like to acknowledge the United States DoD DTRA Cooperative Threat Reduction Program’s support of project HDTRA1-23-1-0025 “Technical assistance towards brucellosis control."