The fight against African zoonotic diseases
Rural African areas that still rely heavily on animals for subsistence are most vulnerable to zoonotic diseases (diseases transmitted from animals to humans). These communities are less likely to be diagnosed and treated, placing a tremendous burden on society and the economy. To minimise the impact of zoonotic diseases, the EU-funded ADVANZ (ADVANZ - Advocacy for the fight against neglected zoonotic diseases) project set up a network to gather and supply information, resources and guidance on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of eight zoonotic diseases in Africa. The group is made up of experts in anthropology, health, agriculture, economics and environmental sciences. The project began by connecting communities to create a pan-African platform that will support interaction, collaboration and coordination among scientists and disease control authorities. ADVANZ followed the One Health approach to connect all the relevant decision-makers. Project partners created information tools for each of the eight diseases, tailoring them to the health and agriculture ministries, veterinarians and local communities. The data was also collected and published on the ADVANZ website for public access. ADVANZ also successfully organised an international meeting on neglected zoonoses, NZD4, which was held in Geneva in November 2014. More than 100 participants attended the meeting. The platform set up by ADVANZ will help African countries to control zoonotic diseases and limit their socioeconomic impact.
Keywords
African, zoonotic diseases, health, agriculture, disease control, One Health
