The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), through its EBO-SURSY Project, worked alongside countries for seven years to build their knowledge and design of surveillance networks. With the support of the European Union, the project is dedicated to preventing future outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs), 
and to saving lives while also protecting wildlife health.

Establishing disease surveillance protocols are crucial in saving the lives of human and animals, and the basis of any well-functioning surveillance system. With no system in place, by the time society realises that a viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) like Ebola is present in their community, it is often too late. Each death signals a missed opportunity for a surveillance system to anticipate and effectively prevent an outbreak in the first place.  

The building blocks of a system of surveillance 

While disease surveillance can be achieved in many ways, it can also be prohibitively expensive for some countries. So what makes a surveillance system successful? Professionals in a variety of disciplines are needed, all with a high level of education and frequent trainings to keep them current. In addition, countries must have a regular supply of personal protective equipment, reagent for samples of specific pathogens, and have a functioning cold chain supply, efficient laboratories, and a functional road network. 

And even when a pathogen is correctly identified, the job is not finished. A country must be able to communicate about the pathogen accurately and have channels to share preventative measures with the public. Altogether, these factors create major hurdles. 

EBO-SURSY Project started in 2017 to help countries overcome these barriers. Committed to helping countries develop professional skills, the project has held 11 One Health trainings across 10 countries. The project even developed communication tools to help the Veterinary Services raise awareness about disease and how to protect themselves, and shared them during trainings. Helping professionals all over Western and Central Africa, the project gave trainings on laboratory diagnostics, animal sample collection, ecological factors for diseases and more. By gathering professionals across human, environmental, and animal health (including both wildlife and livestock), EBO-SURSY encouraged developing skills and connections, while also providing a sturdy foundation for the building blocks of a surveillance system.  

EBO-SURSY Project workshops on how to create a disease surveillance protocol 

Of course, not every country and its professionals have the same needs. Each country is uniquely impacted by the diseases that exist in their environment. The EBO-SURSY Project convened three regional workshops (one for Central Africa, francophone West Africa, and anglophone West Africa) to train Veterinary Service and wildlife professionals on how to develop a disease protocol step by step. And each country came prepared knowing their national priority diseases. The goal of instating a disease surveillance protocol is for a country to have a ‘masterplan’ for monitoring a pathogen, and a guideline for how to react in the case of an outbreak to best control the disease from spreading. 

The workshops focused on helping participants think through a protocol in a holistic manner. With professionals engaged from across the One Health spectrum from each country, the representatives from each sector could think through solutions and communication tactics in real time. WOAH stakeholders also played an important role in the workshops, and included Focal Points who are specialists in wildlife, laboratories, communications and disease notifications, as well as each Member’s Veterinary Services and Delegates. This high level of dedication was needed, because putting a disease protocol into place is no easy task, even when there is support. 

Barriers to proper surveillance 

Given the critical nature of a disease surveillance protocol, one might ask, why would a country not already have one? Mostly because it requires a country to have the ability to sample, test and communicate on results. Different types of surveillance sampling also necessitate various levels of effort and financial commitment.   

For example, targeted surveillance in wildlife requires that regular samples are taken from animal populations. This can become expensive, as people would need to regularly locate and access these animals, have a way to trap them, and only then, sample them and submit the sample to a lab. Less wealthy countries might prioritise other diseases, or diseases impacting humans only. Otherwise, there is also passive surveillance, which while requiring similar laboratory capacities, takes samples on an ad-hoc basis from animals found unusually sick or dead. It is therefore less expensive to cover a wider area. 

Despite this complexity, the EBO-SURSY Project was not deterred in helping countries build a surveillance protocol. After the success of the regional workshops, the participants were encouraged to bring their draft disease protocols home to share with their national Veterinary Services.  

Some countries then asked for EBO-SURSY’s support in holding national-level workshops. Led by the national Veterinary Services, they refined the protocols involving multisectoral stakeholders in the country. Three days were needed for the technical development of the protocols, and two days to present the draft plans to national Ministries. The workshops gave countries the opportunity to broaden the health horizon to include animal and environmental health within national plans, while also building personal and professional networks across the One Health sectors.  

Successfully implementing disease surveillance protocols 

By the final year of the EBO-SURSY Project, many countries have achieved their goals. Sierra Leone, the Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic have put Rift Valley Fever protocols into place. Côte d’Ivoire now has one for Lassa fever. Even in countries where a finalised protocol was not adopted, they still made important strides in thinking critically about developing disease protocols, and these drafts could still be implemented in the future.

In other countries, such as Cameroon who already had a finalised protocol for zoonotic diseases, they used EBO-SURSY’s involvement to deepen existing plans and build the capacity of surveillance system stakeholders. The national Veterinary Services in several countries adopted EBO-SURSY VHF communication tools to build awareness in communities. By educating their populations on these diseases, community members can directly participate in surveillance, signaling to authorities when there are unusual animal health events. 

The future of the health of animals, humans and even environments depend on such protocols with One Health principles. They are put into place to protect all of us. They can signal changes in disease patterns, new outbreaks, and hopefully prevent the death of humans and animals alike. While EBO-SURSY Project is soon ending, these disease surveillance protocols will improve health for years to come.

After seven successful years, one of the World Organisation for Animal Health’s flagship projects, EBO-SURSY, is coming to a close. Highlighting its significant impact on animal health, the project has produced a final impact report underscoring its commitment to improving everyone’s health. The primary focus of this EU-funded program has been on the protection of wildlife health, and the health of the human communities who live beside them. 

Partnered closely with ten countries in West and Central Africa, the project applied a One Health approach, strengthening national and regional early detection systems for zoonotic wildlife diseases. By improving ways to detect and prepare for outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers like Ebola and Lassa fever, the EBO-SURSY Project has helped build a healthier world for animals and humans alike. 

Empowering the animal health workforce

A key component in strengthening a health system is investing in personnel. Without technical knowledge, techniques, material, or resources to excel in their profession, staff cannot thrive and perform to their best ability. To bridge these gaps, the
EBO-SURSY Project hosted a wide range of capacity-building activities, including training programmes and scholarships. It gave animal and human health stakeholders all along the chain the means to build robust surveillance systems in their countries, which will encourage long-term, positive impacts.  

In addition, the project has also given stakeholders the opportunity to network and build relationships across the One Health spectrum, including animal, human, wildlife, or environmental health professionals. These strengthened relationships are the backbone of a comprehensive health system.   

Building trust with communities 

Because of zoonotic spillover, humans and wildlife alike are increasingly vulnerable to many diseases such as viral haemorrhagic fevers. People living near or within natural ecosystems such as rainforests are generally isolated and lack access to information on how to safeguard themselves, wildlife and domestic animals.  

Informed communities are empowered to protect themselves, other humans and wildlife, and EBO-SURSY was committed to building their knowledge. By looking out for tell-tale signs of zoonoses, including unusual deaths and behaviour in wildlife, local communities are the first in line to alert national Veterinary Services or wildlife authorities.

The EBO-SURSY Project, in partnership with local journalists and youth reporters, reached out to communities through radio campaigns focused on raising awareness on wildlife diseases and prevention strategies.

Overall the efforts of the project led to:

Predicting and preventing outbreaks 

Building capacity and raising community awareness are essential steps in establishing strong national surveillance systems, but they are not enough. It’s imperative for countries to implement plans to monitor pathogens and provide clear, accessible guidance for both professionals and the public during an outbreak. 

To empower national Veterinary Services and wildlife professionals build effective surveillance protocols step-by-step, the EBO-SURSY Project held several regional workshops. Some attendee countries went further, holding national-level workshops with EBO-SURSY support, to refine their draft protocols for priority diseases and to gain national support to pass them into legislation.

Because efficient surveillance protocols must be grounded in scientific fact, the
EBO-SURSY Project was committed to scientific research on key viral haemorrhagic fever diseases. It organised field investigations and supported multi-scale research through its consortium partners, Le Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) and Institut Pasteur. 

All three are known for their scientific excellence in the prevention and control of zoonoses, and worked with local stakeholders in the project countries with the aim of providing data-driven predictive models and risk assessment tools. 

• 197 field investigations to support scientific research of 5 viral haemorrhagic fevers, coronavirus, monkeypox and more.  
• 43,000 animal samples and 6,000 human samples taken to track diseases at the animal-human interface and improve scientific studies.  
• 43 scientific studies were published as a result of EBO-SURSY funded research in the fields of ecology, genetics and socio-economics.  
• 25 methodologies and diagnostic tools have been improved or developed.

A new future for wildlife health  

As the EBO-SURSY Project concludes its commitments this year, it is about to enter a new phase with the support of the European Union.  

Over the next years, it aims to expand its geographic scope to 17 countries and include more scientific partners, as well as additional One Health stakeholders. The project will go even further in helping national Veterinary Services set up efficient surveillance systems, and apply scientific findings from phase one into policy, legislation, and professional guidance to safeguard health. 

 

Over 50 million people worldwide depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods. However, aquatic animal diseases can jeopardise the economic and environmental sustainability of this source of income. For instance, on a global scale, disease outbreaks cost the aquaculture industry over US$6 billion per year. 

As the emergence of new diseases is likely to continue, driven by factors such as climate change, unsustainable farming practices or unregulated trade, careful management of the health of aquatic animals is crucial. Most of these diseases severely impact the aquatic animal production sector, but also the open ecosystems in which these populations often live. 

The World Organisation for Animal Health has been at the forefront of preserving the significant contributions of aquatic animals, supported by its international network of experts for over 50 years. 2021 marked the launch of its global Aquatic Animal Health Strategy: an ambitious call to action to improve the sustainability of aquatic animal health systems. 

Guided by this strategy, we are bringing together different actors from the international community to coordinate joint actions in response to the challenges met by the aquatic sector. By working together, we can make our vision of improved aquatic animal health and welfare worldwide a reality.  

The OIE Aquatic Animal Health Strategy is a cornerstone towards more sustainable aquatic ecosystems.

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Animal Welfare and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The 3rd OIE Animal Welfare Global Forum provided a platform for information sharing about the SDGs and how animal welfare plays a role in achieving the SDGs, an exchange of ideas and perspectives, and the development of proposals for future work.

Consult the PTT of the 3rd OIE Animal Welfare Forum:

1. OIE Global Animal Welfare Forum and OIE Animal welfare activities, Matthew Stone, OIE Deputy Director General
2. United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, Isaiah Otieno, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
3. Example of linkage: Dog population management, Alexandra Hammond-Seaman, ICFAW
4. Example of linkage: Beef cattle production, Francisco Galindo, UNAM, OIE Animal Welfare Collaborating Consortium for the Americas
5. Animal welfare and the Sustainable Development Goals, Linda Keeling, Swedish Centre for Animal Welfare (SCAW)
6. Examples of linkage: Pig production systems, Jacques Servière, IMS
7. Examples of linkage: Farm fish production systems, Stian Johnsen, OIE Standards Department

Resources

Paris, 25 May 2021 – This past year has taught us many global health lessons. None more important than the necessity of building health system resilience, at both the national and international level, to safeguard against the devastating effects of pandemics. The concept of resilience has evolved over time, however it is generally accepted as the ability to flexibly prepare for, adapt and recover from adverse events. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major test of global resilience, and has encouraged the international community, including the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), to review its global response to the pandemic and assess how to best incorporate the hard lessons learned into a more sustainable and healthier future. 

Building One Health resilience strategies 

The OIE looks through a One Health lens, recognising that the health of humans, animals and the environment is interconnected, and interdependent. The COVID-19 pandemic itself demonstrated this interconnectivity, as it is likely that the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated in animals. Over the past few years, and spurred on by the pandemic, the OIE has assessed the critical vulnerabilities of One Health resilience through its major activities, including through Member assessments as a part of the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) programme, data from the World Animal Health Information System (OIE-WAHIS), as well as through surveys and questionnaires completed by Members and partners. This wealth of information has led to some preliminary conclusions can no longer be ignored if the international community aims for better preparedness against a future pandemic. Already taking action, the OIE developed its annual technical item and subsequent Resolution No. 31 for the 88^th General Session, aiming to improve One Health resilience at the global level and for its Members.  

The OIE has identified three critical vulnerabilities to One Health resilience that need to be addressed by both the organisation and its Members. The first vulnerability is a lack of attention to wildlife health management, and its inadequate integration into animal health and One Health strategies at all levels. This affects a country’s ability to manage emerging disease threats and to protect biodiversity. The second vulnerability is a lack of global capacity to manage disease emergencies including weaknesses in country capacity to put emergency management plans into operation (leading to a lack of preparedness). A third vulnerability is the chronic, systemic weaknesses in the sustainability of diagnostic laboratory systems. Transversely, One Health resilience is further weakened by deficiencies in the ability of Veterinary Services to access resources and to apply a truly multisectoral approach.

The OIE’s annual technical item, as an important part of its 88^th General Session, also investigates the Organisation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these vulnerabilities, presenting the OIE World Assembly of Delegates with resolutions that could address some of these weaknesses and make our health systems stronger. 

Expanding the OIE’s role in wildlife health management 

To better understand the challenges facing wildlife health management, the OIE surveyed Members’ Veterinary Authorities on the role of Veterinary Services (VS) in wildlife management. The survey delved into specific issues, such as the surveillance of disease in wildlife, and the health monitoring of wildlife in the context of wildlife trade, at all levels of the supply chain. Eighty-one percent of respondents¹ said that their VS were involved in wildlife health management, mainly in the monitoring of the trade value chain: of import/export activities, the inspection of wildlife products and by-products, and the transportation of wildlife. However, only 15% of these respondents said that they collaborated with conservation organisations, charities, non-governmental organisations and/or other government departments focused on wildlife. This lack of One Health coordination between the VS and wildlife authorities is only one of the difficulties faced by the VS in implementing an appropriate system for health monitoring of wildlife trade and use.  

Establishing relevant and appropriate legislative or regulatory frameworks for health monitoring of wildlife trade is a significant concern for the VS. In response the OIE launched its Wildlife Health Framework in 2021, aiming to improve the ability of OIE Members to manage the risk of pathogen emergence in wildlife and transmission at the human−animal−ecosystem interface, while taking into account the protection of wildlife and biodiversity. Furthermore, it aims to support OIE Members to improve their surveillance systems, and their early detection, notification and management of wildlife diseases, including by boosting the use of OIE-WAHIS. The framework will integrate wildlife health across the OIE’s core programmes and activities.  

Better emergency management is essential for future pandemics 

Emergency management is also a key aspect of national resilience, ensuring that a country is well-prepared to act quickly when a new disease threat emerges. While it is encouraging that 90% of OIE Members have some sort of national contingency plan, almost half of the 125 OIE Members assessed by the OIE PVS Evaluation Tool had inadequate or no resources to respond to an emergency. A plan must be ‘fit for purpose’ by being based on local risk, accompanied by adequate resources (including trained personnel, equipment, and finances) and regularly assessed through simulation exercises. VS and animal health are not adequately represented in government frameworks and national emergency management plans, indicating major vulnerabilities for a future pandemic scenario. More work is needed to advocate for this, and to provide more support from a greater number of stakeholders for animal health emergencies, mobilise resources, and allow Veterinary Services to contribute their expertise to national emergencies. The OIE is in the process of building an evidence base for its emergency management programme which will be used to develop fit-for-purpose guidance, upgrade capacity-building tools more effectively, and share models and best practices to support OIE Members in improving sustainability of their emergency management systems. 

Improving the sustainability of laboratories  

The third One Health resilience vulnerability identified by the OIE was the sustainability of laboratories, a vital feature for fighting a disease threat. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of diagnostics − often housed in or coordinated from laboratories − in identifying and characterising new and emerging pathogens and detecting outbreaks early to facilitate containment and avoid further spread. Well-designed systems which link surveillance, laboratory systems and effective disease intervention strategies can maintain or improve levels of performance of VS over time. Such systems should be sustainable to ensure these benefits are maintained. However, a 2019 survey of 136 participating Members showed that of the more than 68,000 pieces of equipment reported globally, approximately 22% were not properly maintained and 46% were not properly calibrated, with variations between OIE regions. The OIE is active in seeking targeted solutions and is also refining its own laboratory capacity-building tools to ensure that sustainability is integrated as a core component. 

Examining these One Health resilience vulnerabilities has been crucial for the OIE. It has encouraged the organisation to reflect on its role and its ability to support the VS in their mission to protect animal health, and plan a proactive response in close partnership with its Members.  Resolution No. 31 calls on its Members to join the OIE in committing themselves to building systems that can not only protect future, but build a more sustainable, healthier world for both humans and animals.  

¹ The survey received 151 responses from Members.

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