Key Stakeholders from Eastern and southern Africa Convene in Uganda to discuss Sustainable Strategies for In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET)
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted a three-day event where representatives from ten countries from East and Southern Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, gathered for the In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) program Regional Workshop. The workshop, aimed at fostering collaboration and sharing best practices, is set to address crucial aspects of ISAVET implementation, successes, and strategies for sustainability.
The objectives of the workshop were to facilitate the exchange of experiences among countries implementing the Global Health Security Project (GHSP), identify sustainable approaches for nationally owned ISAVET programs, and enhance the operationalization of One Health principles at both national and community levels. The GHSP is a collaborative partnership project between the FAO and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project seeks to improve the capacity of the animal health sector to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats and contribution to national and global health security.
During the workshop, representatives from key organizations involved in the ISAVET program shared their perspectives on the significance of the event and the broader impact of veterinary epidemiology training in the region.
According to Assumputa Bibaze, the Programme Management Assistant at Global Health Security Unit - USAID, "We are very grateful to FAO for our enduring partnership, both in Uganda and globally, particularly in enhancing animal health sectors across supported countries. At USAID, we are deeply committed to strengthening the One Health strategy and FAO's invaluable support plays a pivotal role in realizing this vision. Through ISAVET, we commend the Government of Uganda for empowering limited human resources, and with over 100 trainees, we have witnessed inspiring success stories in the field that FAO continues to champion."
Dr. Antonio Querido, FAO Representative for Uganda, emphasized the crucial role of veterinarians in safeguarding public health. He noted, 'Veterinarians play a critical role in preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases and ensuring safe agrifood systems.
“I have witnessed a lot of progress in One Health institutionalization and extension to reach wider publics, including the grassroots and those marginalized. It cannot be taken for granted that over 5000 animal health personnel in Uganda have been given specialized skills to handle zoonotic diseases (diseases that cross from humans to animals and vice versa) in the last 5 years, supported by FAO and other partners, he said”
Querido also reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to strengthen Uganda's resilience against threats & crises. He urged other stakeholders to join efforts in increasing the number of frontline workers in the veterinary sector to ensure sustainability.
Highlighting Uganda's commitment, Dr. Peter Wanyama, Assistant Commissioner at the National Animal Disease Diagnostic and Epidemiology Centre (NADDEC) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries, emphasized the need for an integrated program to address challenges such as inadequate public veterinary personnel, low disease detection and response rates, and underutilization of livestock data.
He noted, "As Uganda, we have greatly benefitted from this initiative. With five cohorts trained in Uganda, our reporting capacity has improved, enabling us to respond effectively to diseases. I thank all the development partners who have enabled us to achieve this."
Dr. Sam Okuthe, the Regional Epidemiology Training Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa, the Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) program noted that ISAVET trains frontline workers in detecting and responding to zoonotic diseases and transboundary animal diseases. “In 10 countries, including Uganda, ISAVET has trained 494 frontline workers, 278 trainers, and 278 mentors, with costs varying per country. Success stories include improved disease surveillance and outbreak investigations, enhancing the One Health approach through multisectoral coordination,” he added.
Background
Strengthening field epidemiology capacity for the animal health sector aligns with the objectives of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and various key activities, including the GHSA Human Resource Development Action Package and the World Health Organization (WHO) Joint External Evaluation (JEE). FAO, in collaboration with partners, developed and piloted the Frontline In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) program between 2018 and 2019. Efforts during this period resulted in the development of an ISAVET curriculum and successful regional pilot trainings. Since January 2020, 23 African countries, including five Eastern and Southern African (ESA) countries, have initiated national-level implementation of ISAVET, demonstrating a collective commitment to enhancing veterinary epidemiology capacity in the region.
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https://www.fao.org/emergencies/our-focus/animal-health/en