In regions like West Africa, where rich biodiversity intersects with communities and livestock, early detection of wildlife health threats such as diseases, pathogens, and toxic agents, is crucial to better prevent outbreaks affecting both people and animals.

Effective wildlife health surveillance is not only key to safeguarding human and animal health, but also vital to inform nature conservation, and for protecting ecosystems and livelihoods. Liberia, for instance, recognised these potential benefits to protect its people and animals and hosted a three-day workshop focused on enhancing wildlife health surveillance in Tubmanburg City, Bomi, Liberia, from 8-10 March, 2025 bringing together over 30 participants from key national and international organisations.

The workshop, part of a broader initiative to strengthen One Health approaches, was organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in partnership with The Forestry Development Authority of Liberia (FDA), the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia (SCNL), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the IUCN SSC Wildlife Health Specialist Group (WHSG). The workshop was hosted at the Forestry Training Institute of Liberia.

Strengthening Surveillance Capabilities

The workshop’s participants came from a range of organisations, including the FDA, SCNL, the Ministry of Agriculture (including the Epidemiology Unit and Central Veterinary Laboratory) of Liberia, Liberia One Health Coordination Platform, IUCN, WOAH, Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN), and the University of Liberia. WOAH Wildlife Focal Points from Ghana and from Liberia also contributed their expertise, supporting cross-border dialogue and shared learning.  

The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to engage with the Guidelines for the Surveillance of Diseases, Pathogens, and Toxic Agents in Free-Ranging Wildlife. Released in September 2024, these guidelines aim to support the implementation of national wildlife surveillance programs and promote a unified understanding of health monitoring in wildlife. The guidelines, developed by IUCN and WOAH, are designed to assist countries in strengthening surveillance systems through a One Health approach. 

The workshop also provided insights into Liberia’s progress in wildlife health surveillance. The country’s One Health coordination initiatives and One Health trainings for protected area and allied staff have laid the groundwork for current initiatives. Liberia’s rangers are interested in contributing to regular wildlife health surveillance, but there is a recognised need for further training and more structured systems. 

This initiative is timely. The guidelines will assist us to build a wildlife health surveillance system which currently does not exist and enhance our performance in activities related to WOAH and the National One Health Coordination Platform in Liberia.

Abednego Gbarway, WOAH Focal Point for Wildlife, Wildlife Manager, Forestry Development Authority, Liberia.

Collaborative effort for Wildlife Health

Workshop sessions covered key topics such as wildlife health surveillance in Liberia and Ghana, stakeholder mapping and workflow from field to laboratory,  designing surveillance plans and defining objectives in line with the eight steps in the guidelines. A field scoping component explored several different wildlife and environmental contexts for surveillance to inform action. 

The event also featured a visit to Liberia’s Central Veterinary Laboratory and the University of Liberia’s mobile high-tech laboratory. These visits provided participants with a closer look at the diagnostic capabilities available for wildlife health surveillance.  

In addition, field visits to a nearby wetland were used to design an environmental sampling plan for the surveillance of avian influenza viruses in wild birds, providing a practical application of the training. 

Finally, a hands-on session featuring the ALERT Game resulted in high engagement from participants. Developed under the EBO-SURSY project, the ALERT Game aims to better engage surveillance systems stakeholders in intersectoral collaboration and to highlight the importance of collaborative efforts to address wildlife health issues. 

I felt that participants had a clear understanding of The ALERT Game, and that experience influenced the development of several disease surveillance plans during the simulation exercise.

Meyir Ziekah, WOAH Wildlife Focal Point, Zoo Veterinarian, Forestry Commission (wildlife division), Ghana.

Key Recommendations for Liberia’s Wildlife Health Surveillance

At the conclusion of the workshop, several recommendations were proposed to improve wildlife health surveillance in Liberia. Among these were calls for: 

1. The development of comprehensive training programs for both office-based and field-based staff on wildlife health and One Health courses, especially hands-on sample management. 

2. The establishment of national wildlife health surveillance systems, particularly in and around protected areas. 

3. A National Wildlife Health Surveillance Strategy to coordinate efforts across the country. 

4. Strengthening collaboration with neighboring countries in the Mano River Union, including Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. 

5. Provision of protective equipment and logistical support for safe inspections at checkpoints and transporting confiscated animals to sanctuaries. 

6. Creation of a national database for wildlife health and a harmonized reporting system across key ministries. 

The workshop marked a significant step forward in enhancing Liberia’s wildlife disease surveillance capabilities. As participants continue to build on the knowledge and skills gained during the training, it is clear that cross-sectoral collaboration and international support will be crucial in ensuring the long-term health of wildlife in the region. 

This work was funded by BMZ (Guidelines) and the International Alliance against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade through GIZ (Workshop). Photos Credit: Kevin Smith/IUCN 

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.