Ethiopia embraces One Health Approach to respond to existing, emerging threats: EPHI

Addis Ababa March 11, 2023 (FBC) – The Embassy of Belgium in Addis Ababa in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nation (FAO) organized a panel discussion on: “Effective One Health Implementation in Ethiopia: Challenges, Opportunities and Way Ahead”

In its third edition of the Chocolate and Coffee Talks which aims to provide a platform to support the incorporation of the lessons learned into the new National One Health Strategy for 2023-2028, the panel touched upon an approach that recognizes the health of people which is closely connected to the health of animals and shared environment.

In his welcoming remarks Stefaan Thijs, Belgian Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, Permanent Representative to the African Union, IGAD and UNECA said that health issues become a huge concern in relation to the change of climate, population and the entire ecosystem.

“It is at most important to have one health approach countries like Ethiopia in which their household income is dependent on livestock are characterized by a strong correlation between a high burden of zoonotic disease and poverty, the One Health approach is critical for solutions to prevent, prepare for, and respond to these complex threats”, Ambassador Stefaan stated.

Regarding the event the ambassador said that the editions that are being organized by the embassy provide an open professional discussion for policy makers to have better implementation.

Keith Sumption, Chief Veterinary Officer of Animal Production and Health Division (AGA) and Chief of the Joint Center for Zoonoses and AMR (CJWZ) at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on her part said Global health is at risks where reemerging diseases has been increasing by the interactions of human, animal, ecosystems and increases account for more than one billion cases.

She said the One Health approach is critical for solutions to prevent, prepare for, and respond to these complex threats.

She added that One Health Approach is a game changer in the health sector where it allows the prevention of diseases in all Animal, Human and plants.

The Chief Veteran indicated that FAO is working globally with stakeholders in one health priority program areas by Coordinating Information sharing systems to set the Scene for the quadripartite global One Health and joint action plans.

Marc-Alain Widdowson, Director, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium on his part said that one health principles are essential in addressing the health policy in nations in their approach of addressing prevention of diseases in all endeavors.

“As the globe is threatened by biodiversity loss, deforestation, climate change, urbanization, population growth, Ecological degradation and societal change the implementation of the Global Health Security Agenda is critical for Ethiopia to address existing problems”, Alain Widdowson stated.

Feyesa Regassa, from Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and Chair of the National One Health Steering Committee on his part said that Ethiopia has embraced the One Health approach to respond to the existing and emerging threats.

He said several developments have been made to pioneer One Health schemes in Ethiopia which includes establishment of the National One Health Steering Committee and Technical Working Groups, prioritization of zoonotic diseases based on their impact on human and livestock, the development of prevention and control working documents for prioritized zoonotic diseases, joint disease surveillance and outbreak investigation, prioritization of zoonotic diseases, capacity building and other One Health promotions.

He said with the threats that are facing the country the implementation of one health approach is mandatory.

He added that the government along with stakeholders is working to fully implement the one health approach in a multi sectoral coordination platform.

Government of Ethiopia with support from development partners have committed to the One Health approach in their National One Health Strategic Plan 2018-2022 and National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2019-2023 to reduce the risks and impacts of emerging health threats to negligible levels.

By: Yonathan Yoseph