A team of veterinarians and paravets during a t raining in surveillance, disease outbreak investigation and risk communication and reporting

One Health stakeholders in Uganda have called for several interventions and reforms in methods and modalities to increase awareness and adoption of One Health approaches to manage diseases at the animal-human-environment interface. The call was made during a virtual dialogue organized by FAO in Uganda, to commemorate this year’s One Health Day on 3 November 2022. Attended by over 80 participants, the dialogue was held under the aegis of interventions of the Global Health Security Agenda to address zoonotic diseases and animal health in Africa. The dialogue, held on the sidelines of the national event held at the office of the President of the Republic of Uganda, was attended by participants from the key ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Ministry of Health and District Veterinary Officials from Mbale, Ntungamo, and Masaka among other districts.

The dialogue aimed at enabling stakeholders to share experiences on the adoption of the One Health approach - including good practices and recommendations for greater progress, particularly at the subnational (district) level. It was also intended to facilitate dialogue around promoting the decentralization of One Health through improved collaboration, communication, coordination, and capacity building at the subnational level. Stakeholders, including district veterinary officers, district health officers, and public health specialists called for increased sensitization of One Health among the public and relevant agencies as well as education on public health planning and budgeting from a One Health perspective. Participants also called for deliberate decentralized training programs to enhance the technical and professional capacities of district officials to integrate and implement One Health into their plans, increased dissemination and sensitization, and recruitment of key staff  (laboratory personnel and district One Health focal persons).

While delivering his keynote address on this year’s theme: “Connecting Animal, Human and Environmental Health”, Dr John Opolot- Assistant Commissioner, Veterinary Public Health and Zoonoses at the Ministry of Health, emphasized the importance of One Health approaches in defeating zoonotic diseases in a sustainable manner. He highlighted a number of changes that have predisposed the country to zoonotic disease outbreaks, including increased human interaction with domestic and wild animals, globalization, urbanization, increased technology, increased demand for animal products, and effects of extreme environmental conditions (floods and prolonged dry seasons). “Communication, collaboration, and coordination are fundamental pillars of One Health because no sector can handle an issue solely”, Opolot said. He noted that embracing One Health would facilitate timely and efficient detection, prevention, and response to health challenges, resulting in better regulation/policy direction as well as development and efficient use and management of resources (technical staff, finances, and materials).

Dr. Willington Bessong Ojong - Country Team Leader for FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease (ECTAD) acknowledged Uganda’s efforts at entrenching One Health at the national and decentralized levels and exhorted the need for stakeholders to focus and pay attention to the unique demands of various local governments. He indicated that FAO is currently supporting Uganda’s national health security system by providing support to the animal health sector through important investments in a host of actions such as: the fight against antimicrobials resistance, biosafety/biosecurity, national laboratory system, disease surveillance, reduction of zoonotic disease impact, workforce development, and generation of evidence for policy development and promotion of livestock value chain best practices.

Other speakers included Dr. Philip Wakimwere – Mbale District Veterinary Officer, who confessed that Mbale District’s adoption of the One Health approach to disease prevention and management was insignificant; although, a recent anthrax outbreak compelled the district to form and sustain its District One Health Team (DOHT).

On behalf of Masaka District Local Government, Dr Kirumira Mukasa highlighted that Masaka District has battled and is still prone to zoonotic diseases such as Ebola virus disease (EVD), yellow fever, anthrax, and brucellosis and reports at least 30 dog bite cases monthly. According to him, the district has a number of tools and interventions to facilitate One Health approaches. However, Masaka District does not have funds budgeted or allocated for One Health activities and regional veterinary/Medical laboratories have low diagnostic capacity.

Dr. Yake Basulira, the District Veterinary Officer for Ntugamo District Local Government revealed that the district had greatly enhanced disease reporting and resource sharing, including the acquisition of skilled labor (cold chain, sample transportation, and surveillance), prioritized vaccination against diseases like rabies, and initiated cost sharing of laboratory, promoted public-private partnerships and use of diagnostic sample hub system transportation.

One Health in Uganda

Uganda adopted the One Health approach as early as 1980 through the establishment of the Veterinary Public Health Division in the Ministry of Health. In 1992, the country established the Trypanosomiasis Control Council (COCTU), heralding the need for multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder collaboration in managing public health challenges. One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and inter-dependent

The occurrence of emerging, reemerging, and endemic zoonotic diseases and Uganda’s geographical location in the proximity of disease hot spots such as the Congo Basin, justify the country’s adoption of One Health. The National One Health Platform (NOHP), established in 2016, is working towards 

decentralizing One Health approaches from the national to subnational (district) level in order to promote proximity-based coordination, collaboration, communication, and capacity.

The creation of District One Health Teams (DOHTs) is therefore imperative. So far, there are 34 DOHTs out of the 146 districts. The NOHP is committed to extending DOHTs to at least 50 districts by 2024. Uganda currently strives to develop and adopt a clear One Health policy to leverage the aspirations of this approach.