Ethiopian One Health Media Network Established
Public health and media stakeholders who participated in a “Science Communication and Media Café” related to ‘One Health’ from July 11-12, 2024 , in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia underscored the role of media in enhancing public awareness on ‘one health’ approach is key to addressing public health challenges in the country.
The media café was organized by the Coordinator of the Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA) project that covers eleven countries in Eastern and Southern Africa and supported by partners including the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).
According WHO/CDC, One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach — working at the local, regional, national, and global levels — with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment/ecology.
In light of the outbreak of a series of global pandemics such as COVID-19, SARS, MERS, HIV Aids, Ebola, Zika, and to ensure a coordinated effort, Ethiopia established an Ad-hoc National One Health Steering Committee (NOHSC) in 2017.
Composed of experts from agriculture, health, environment, and wildlife sectors as well as other stakeholders including NGOs and bi-and multi-lateral organizations as members, it has been coordinating One Health plans and activities in the country.
According to Dr. Feyesa Regassa , head of the newly established One Health National Secretariat at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Ministry of Health, Ethiopia, the ad-hoc committee did not have its own office, or allocated budget for its joint activities and its mainly focused only zoonotic diseases, not too much on ecological health.
“Last year, with the proclamation titled ‘Ethiopian Public Health Institute [EPHI] Establishment’ (Regulation No, 529/2023,) the Ethiopian government has taken an important step in legalizing a One Health Secretariat under the custodian of EPHI with the engagement of stakeholders from pertinent ministries and partners,” Dr. Feyesa indicated.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Margaret Karembu, Director of ISAAA-AfriCenter also said that the media are a essential pillar in raising awareness of One Health issues by providing information and education.
She also urged journalists who took part in the media café to promoting One Health and its benefits in bringing about positive changes in communities.
Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) Deputy Director General Dr. Getachew Tollera says that as Ethiopia faces heath challenges that require comprehensive and integrated responses, One Health approach is instrumental to protect the public from various emerging pandemics and to strengthen the country’s health emergency systems.
The Deputy Director General has underscored the need to strengthen the implementation of One Health approach by involving the various pertinent stakeholders to ensure a more resilient health care system in Ethiopia.
Dr. Getachew also reaffirmed that Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) is committed to provide all the necessary assistance to all stakeholders engaged in One Health approach implementation in Ethiopia
Coordinator of the Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA) project, implemented by the School of Public Health of Addis Ababa University, Dr. Mirgissa Kaba, says the project has been promoting One Health concepts in Ethiopia through various awareness creation efforts for Multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary teams.
“We have been also promoting interdisciplinary collaborative activities among stakeholders in the health, agriculture and environment protection sectors as well as educational and research institutes. These efforts need to be strengthened to realize a strong One Health approaches in Ethiopia and protect the people from future emerging and re-emerging pandemics of the likes of COVID-19, SARS, MERS, HIV Aids and Ebola in the country.”
Capacitating One Health in Eastern and Southern Africa (COHESA) is a project across eleven countries in Eastern and Southern Africa where a project consortium of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) Afri-center are working with an academic partner (and a much wider stakeholder team) in each country to adapt and adopt OH approaches and solutions.