FOR several decades, Africa and Asia have been major hot-spots and sources of Zoonotic diseases that have led to some of the world’s deadliest diseases outbreaks. Zoonotic diseases (also known as zoonoses) are caused by germs that spread between animals and people.
By Michael Gwarisa
Some of the major Zoonotic diseases that have emerged from Africa include Ebola which is believed to have originated from fruit Bats, there is also still confusion over the origins of AIDS which is believed by some scientist to have come from primates in the Congo. The Coronavirus that has literally brought the world economy to a halt originated from Wuhan, a province in Asian China and is also believed to have emanated from Bats. India is currently battling a NIPA virus outbreak that could become the next biggest headache if a solution is not found on time. The NIPA Virus’s origin has been linked to livestock and rodents.
A myriad of challenges have however bogged Africa, Asia and the world at large in as far as preventing Zoonotic diseases is concerned. The lack of modern early warning and surveillance systems and technologies and lack of investment towards research around Zoonotic diseases has had catastrophic consequences for the global public health system.
To address the ever growing transmission of Zoonotic diseases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is advocating for the “One Health” approach. The One Health is a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment. Various African countries have adopted the One Health approach. In Zimbabwe, the One Health is focusing mainly on addressing the impending threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and also nipping Zoonotic diseases in the bud.
Environmental Scientist, Dr Hung Nguyen Viet told a Science Café that was organised by the Media for Environment, Science, and Health and Agriculture (MESHA) that the One Health approach was most relevant in Africa and Asia where Zoonotic diseases were most prevalent.
In Asia, I can tell you that the One Health approach has been a movement somehow for the past 20 years or so because of these disease outbreaks from animals to humans or Zoonotic diseases. We can talk about SARS, we can talk of the Avian Influenza, all these diseases came from Asia and recently you know of the COVID-19 of course and from time to time , these new diseases come from Africa, for example the Ebola and so on. So these two continents are really the hotspot of these Zoonotic diseases and the use of One Health is of common interest to Africa and Asia,” said Dr Nguyen.
He added that Asia has similar programs to eliminate the transmission of Zoonotic diseases just as those that are being implemented in Africa, in particular in Kenya, East Africa. Countries in South Asia have a One Health plan and One Health strategy to promote One Health and control Zoonotic diseases, food safety and microbial resistance.
Dr Athman Mwatondo, a Medical Epidemiologist working for the Ministry of Health in Kenya said there is need to improve capacity to detect Zoonotic diseases in advance and investing in technology and research would do the trick.
“Promoting One Health requires routinely sharing of Data both surveillance and output data between these two sectors or rather all the sectors within this triad where the human, animal and the environment. This is important so that the human health sector can be informed of what’s going on in the animal health sector and vice-versa.
“One other things that we have to do is develop joint plants of preventing of these priority Zoonotic diseases. We have to work together to eliminate for example Rabies. You will see that maybe there is a lot of investment in human health sector and the animal health sector maybe lagging behind. During the COVID-19 pandemic, billions have been channelled towards developing vaccines and all while nothing much is going towards animal health,” said Dr Mwatondo.
Meanwhile, Professor Delia Grace Randolph said the One Health approach could increase the world’s chances of detecting zoonotic diseases at an early stage.
“I would argue that One Health should not better prepare us for the next pandemic but it should prevent the next pandemic because nobody wants another pandemic. 75% of these emerging diseases come from wildlife, they often come via livestock and if we can find them in livestock or better still wildlife, or better still keep us safe and healthy environment, the wildlife will never get sick, the livestock will never get sick and the humans will never get sick.
“I think One Health can give us the tools to both keep environments wildlife and animals healthy and also if there is something that goes wrong, it can be detected at a very early stage, its caught when it is still an outbreak and it never gets to be an epidemic or pandemic,” said Prof Randolph.
