Global health security through One Health
These video interviews feature frontline practitioners and stakeholders from across Africa sharing their experiences implementing global health security initiatives under FAO's Global Health Security Agenda programme. The interviews provide firsthand perspectives on challenges and successes in strengthening veterinary systems, combating zoonotic diseases, and developing One Health approaches at country and regional levels.
From Sierra Leone's efforts to address endemic anthrax and strengthen veterinary surveillance capacity, to Kenya's innovative coordination mechanisms for Rift Valley Fever prevention, these voices illuminate the practical realities of building resilient health security systems. The interviews highlight critical themes including the importance of community engagement, laboratory capacity building, cross-sector collaboration, and the need for sustained investment in animal health systems to effectively prevent and respond to disease threats that cross the human-animal interface.
Salam Saidu talks about the relevance and value of One Health support in Sierra Leone
In Sierra Leone, anthrax is endemic and represents one of the country's deadliest animal diseases. The nation has prioritized ten zoonotic diseases, with six originating from animals and only four affecting human health, highlighting the critical need to strengthen the animal health sector. Sierra Leone requires support from the Global Health Security Programme to effectively combat these diseases.
The country's veterinary workforce is significantly weakened, making programs like ISAVET invaluable for upgrading veterinary service capacity in animal disease surveillance. Through such initiatives, Sierra Leone trains frontline workers who monitor animal disease occurrences from community to national levels, with data compiled and reported to international bodies including FAO, WOAH, and ECOWAS.
Dr Lystar Kamau shares her experiences of working as an epidemiologist in rural Kenya
Global health security faces critical challenges including insufficient collaboration among partners and poor communication with frontline animal keepers. Many activities fail to reach grassroots levels, with engagement often limited to data collection rather than early-stage disease control involvement.
Significant gaps exist in laboratory capacity and feedback mechanisms that undermine surveillance efforts. Field experience reveals a disconnect between veterinary services and farmers' needs, with delayed laboratory results and inadequate support creating service quality issues. Laboratory automation is recommended to improve service delivery speed and data quality for addressing zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
Dennis Mwangala shares experiences of developing One Health approaches in Isiolo, Kenya
Isiolo County developed a joint One Health work plan coordinated by a strong county steering unit that brings together government, development partners, research institutions, and organizations like FAO, UNICEF, and WHO. When meteorological data predicted flooding and potential Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreaks, the team conducted surveillance and identified high-risk areas, particularly those with Prosopis juliflora invasion.
Joint work plans with shared budgets provide stronger negotiating power with partners, forcing budget reallocations to support coordinated activities rather than siloed departmental approaches. However, documentation remains a critical weakness, with the county working to develop common reporting tools and monitoring mechanisms for One Health activities to build evidence-based cases for future resource mobilization.
Serge Nzietcheung on the scope and future of One Health interventions
One Health extends beyond zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance to encompass food safety, biosecurity, and biosafety through comprehensive, strategic country-level support. Over five years, countries have demonstrated clear progress from capacity building toward operational capabilities, enabling effective responses to health events at the animal-human interface.
Current challenges like mpox highlight the critical need for strong wildlife surveillance systems, as environmental and wildlife sectors often represent the source of disease emergence.
Future efforts must focus on systems transformation rather than just change, emphasizing monitoring, evaluation, and learning to build veterinary services as learning organizations capable of continuous improvement in service delivery.