The Namibian government in partnership with Africa CDC officially launched on 19 June, a five-year plan on One Health geared to address shared health threats between animals, humans, and the environment.
The Tripartite One Health National Strategy 2024-2028 was developed by the Ministries of Health and Social Services, Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and Agriculture, Water and Land Reform in close collaboration with the University of Namibia, the United Nations Foods and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
In the "Namibian context, the need for the One Health approach is evidenced by the frequently reported outbreaks of zoonotic disease, coupled with the effects of climate change," the Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Kalumbi Shangula said officiating the meeting.
The Tripartite One Health Strategic Plan is based on a vision to promote healthy, ecosystems to minimise the risks and impacts of emerging and re-emerging health threats at the human, animal, plant, and environment interface. Its main goal is to establish and institutionalise a sustainable One Health Approach across all sectors in Namibia, starting at the community level.
The strategy is anchored on six thematic areas which include enhancing One Health capacities to strengthen health systems; reducing the risks from emerging and re-emerging zoonotic epidemics and pandemics; controlling and eliminating zoonotic, neglected tropical and vector-borne diseases; strengthening the assessment, management and communication of food safety risks; curbing the silent pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance; and integrating the Environment in One Health.
"The importance of the One Health approach is crucial, because 75% of emerging pathogens that are known to cause epidemics affecting humans are of zoonotic origin," said Shangula.
Africa CDC remains committed to strengthening national One Health capacities across the continent, said Dr Yewande Alimi, One Health Unit Lead at Africa CDC.
"We applaud the strong political commitment by the Ministers of Health and Social Services, Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and Agriculture, Water and Land Reform as they launched this national strategy to strengthen One Health in Namibia," said Dr Alimi.
Representing four organisations FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme, WHO, World Organisation for Animal Health, the WHO country representative Dr Richard Banda commended Namibia for its action to enhance the One Health activities in the country in line with national framework and the International Health Regulations 2005.
"This indicates Namibia's dedication to strengthen the country's capacity to prepare for, detect and respond to public health emergencies and threats to health consequences," Dr Banda said.
Dr Kalumbi said the Tripartite One Health National Strategy will be reviewed annually by the One Health multisectoral coordinating committee and its activities will be integrated into the implementation of existing strategies such as National Action Plan for Health Security; the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response; the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases; Event-Based Surveillance; Antimicrobial Resistance; as well as Veterinary and Wildlife disease control interventions.
Meanwhile, Africa CDC is working to establish a new public health order for Africa, one in which Member States are empowered to take control and responsibility for the health and wellness of their populations, by building public health workforce capacity, coordinating and enhancing partnerships, harnessing public health assets through Regional Coordinating Centres and National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs), supporting public health decisions and policies through quality data, and building private philanthropic partnerships to leverage resources.
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According to the agency's framework to achieve these aims, Africa CDC advocates for establishment and strengthening of NPHIs in all 55 Member States. Africa CDC aims to empower the Member State NPHIs to prevent, respond to and control public health events on the continent and to achieve Agenda 2063: the Africa We Want, utilizing a One Health approach.
As a first step, NPHIs, similar public health institutions and Ministries of Health are being supported to build One Health capacity, while simultaneously improving coordination efforts for the prevention and control of priority zoonotic diseases across other integral parts of the health sector. "Given that One Health requires a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach, this framework will contribute to the proposed African Union One Health strategy, which will be developed jointly by relevant African Union institutions to address these shared health threats more holistically," the Framework notes.
