Overview of One Health projects in Viet Nam and the ECOMORE closing workshop
The project aimed at measuring health risks for local communities, through improvement of surveillance systems and strengthening of national and regional cooperation. The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) was thekey partner for the Viet Nam component, in which a One Health approach was adopted for assessing threats coming from livestock activities to public health and the surrounding environment. The study area was Duy Tien district, Ha Nam province. Study results showed that intensive livestock farming areas suffer greater pollution levels and a higher proportion of infected pigs compared to traditional farming areas. Therefore, practical recommendations for biosecurity livestock husbandry, particularly in the area of high-density livestock farming, have been given in order to prevent the transmission of diseases from animals to human, targeting working-age people whose work is closely related to livestock and agriculture.
The ECOMORE project closing workshop in November, 2016 was a good opportunity for information exchange and enhancing cooperation, and many initiatives and other relevant projects in One Health fields in Viet Nam were discussed. These included the Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT-2) program of USAID, the current support and activities of Agence Francaise de Développement in Viet Nam (AFD), the on-going cooperation between UN agencies (WHO and FAO) in responding to the zoonotic diseases and emerging infectious diseases, CIRAD’s One Health research activities in the region and in Viet Nam, the Field Building Leadership Initiative (FBLI): Advancing Ecohealth in Southeast Asia of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and the One Health Training Programs of Viet Nam One Health University Network (VOHUN). The representative of the Viet Nam One Health Partnership for Zoonoses (OHP) Secretariat presented an overview of the application of a One Health approach in Viet Nam, as well as current national One Health coordination mechanisms. The intense activities in this field demonstrate the great opportunities for cooperation and development between the animal and human health sectors, as well as between domestic and foreign partners and the donor community, to jointly respond to emerging disease threats. It has become particularly significant in the context when Viet Nam’s One Health Strategic Plan for Zoonotic Diseases (OHSP), 2016 – 2020 has been approved. Viet Nam’s OHSP sets out a specific framework for focused One Health activities in the country during the next 5 years (2016 – 2020), including the ongoing promotion of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).
Based on the successful first phase of the ECOMORE project, a second phase is already committed, with a focus on “Impact of climate factors and agricultural activities on Leptospirosis in Viet Nam”. It is expected that the project will be implemented over 2 years in 3 provinces representing 3 types of climate and socio-economic development in Viet Nam./.
