With the aim to strengthen the capacities of veterinarians and para-veterinary professionals to improve country’s capacity of detection and response to infectious diseases, including zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted to humans, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MAFS), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in the framework of the Global Health Security (GHS) Program launched the Second Cohort of In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) program in Sierra Leone.

The first cohort of ISAVET training comprising 13 selected Trainees was launched in 2022. The ISAVET training is a timely intervention to address the low human resource capacity gaps identified through various assessments such as the Performance of Veterinary Services Assessment Reports (PVS) Joint External Evaluation Reports (JEE), FAO Surveillance Assessment Reports using SET. The low human capacity constrains the provision of animal health care and delivery of veterinary services to the farmers which negatively impacts on the health, production and productivity of animals Sierra Leone because of its rich natural habitat, enormous wildlife species and increased human-wildlife interactions resulting from increased agricultural and hunting activities is prone to emerging and re-emerging diseases such as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak of 2014-2015in which human interactions were identified as the course of the disease outbreak. In addition the challenge of porous international boundaries, poor animal disease control infrastructure and the weak human resource capacity is a hindrance to the fight against transboundary animal diseases (TADs) and zoonoses such as peste des petits ruminants (PPR), Foot and Mouth Diseases, rabies and brucellosis. All these disease outbreaks have a huge impact on health, the economy and socio-political stability. Therefore, epidemiological surveillance, field investigation, response, communication and prevention and control of animal diseases are some of the core competencies urgently required to build the country’s capacity to prevent priority transboundary and zoonotic animal diseases at the Human-Livestock interface at the source.

Enhancing capacities of animal health frontline workers

To address Sierra Leone's limited capacity in animal disease detection and response, the Ministry of Agriculture, with support from the FAO, launched the ISAVET program. It is an on-the-job training that addresses critical skills needed to effectively conduct surveillance and response to animal diseases at the local level, focusing on improving disease detection, reporting and response. The second cohort of 21 animal-health trainees will undergo four weeks of formal (didactic) training followed by three months of home-based mentored field projects at the trainees’ duty stations. After the final externship, the trainees will receive Certificate of Participation upon completion of the field case studies and dissemination of their field reports.

Rolling out the second cohort of the ISAVET Training

The launch of this cohort was witnessed by high level representatives from Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Academia, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and FAO, who made statements.

During the launch in Makeni, Mr. Harding Wuyango, Assistant FAO Representative for Programme, said that field veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals were an indispensable human resource to ensure animal health and economic growth in the sub-sector. He conveyed USAID Country Mission GHS Advisor in Sierra Leone greetings and thanked her for her unwavering support.

“Field investigation is critical to curbing animal disease outbreaks; these frontline animal health service providers detect and respond to potentially zoonotic infectious diseases at their source.” He added the Directorate of Livestock and Veterinary Services is the driving force behind the ISAVET Programme. FAO, through its Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) will provide the desired animal health skills and capacities during the structured on-the-job training, he affirmed.

Honorable Sahr Hemorh, Deputy Minister 2 of Agriculture and Food Security who launched the programme, said “The ISAVET training will empower the Livestock and Veterinary Service Division to strengthen the national surveillance system and improve detection and reporting of endemic, emerging and re-emerging diseases and serve as a springboard for the Government of Sierra Leone Flagship programme – Feed Salone.”

Global Approach to Animal Health

FAO, the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD) of Texas A&M University and collaborators launched the ISAVET programme in 2018; to address endemic, emerging infectious and transboundary animal diseases (EIDs and TADs) in 14 countries of West, Central and East Africa.

The programme is implemented through the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) initiative with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The ISAVET programme provides “training through service” to agriculture ministries by training field veterinarians and paraprofessionals in disease detection, reporting and response to zoonoses and animal-specific diseases.

In preparation for the launch of ISAVET program in Sierra Leone several activities were implemented, including the appointment of the National ISAVET Programme Steering Committee (NIPSC) to coordinate and supervise implementation of ISAVET programme in the country, ISAVET identification and training of trainers and mentors as well the identification of trainees through a competitive process.