One Health Data Alliance Africa (OHDAA)
The recent Technical Workshop in Naivasha, Kenya (Feb 26-28, 2024), advanced Africa's One Health platform development, uniting key stakeholders for health governance and management enhancement in Africa.
Funder: GIZ
Implementing Partners: management4health AG, Ausvet
Project Period: 08/2023 – 07/2024
Country: Africa Union, IGAD Malawi, Rwanda, Cameroon
The Covid-19 pandemic was a wake-up call to the world that health-related issues cannot be addressed using a sectoral approach, with the key health sectors i.e., human health, animal health, and environmental health working in silos. There is a need for closer collaboration. There is also a need for more real-time or near real-time One Health data to support evidence-based decision support. What then do we mean by “One Health”?
One Health (OH) stands for a holistic, interdisciplinary approach concerned with the interactions and interdependencies between humans, animals, and the environment and further domains such as food security and agriculture/livestock/fisheries production, water resource management and water supply, and preserving biodiversity. To date, however, OH is largely associated with zoonosis which adds up to 70% of emerging infectious diseases and originates in the animal domain from which they are transferred to humans. The risk for such a spill over is also largely determined by environmental factors. Zoonosis can be the cause for epidemics and pandemics—COVID-19, which may originate from bats, being a prominent example. Similarly, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can only be tackled with an interdisciplinary approach that includes humans, animals, and the environment. OH thus looks at the entire system in which diseases can develop and spread and focuses on prevention and control measures to reduce corresponding health risks.
The spillover effects of One Health based on zoonoses can be seen in the image below:
Figure 1: One Health spillover effects s (Policies to prevent zoonotic spillover, Globalization and Health)
Addressing One Health requires a multidisciplinary approach engaging stakeholders from different domains, including human, animal, and environmental health. At a high level, the various disciplines and sectors that need to be involved can be seen in the image below:
Figure 2: One Health sectors and disciplines (WHO Quadripartite regional meeting to accelerate implementation of One Health in Eastern Mediterranean Region)
About the One Health Data Alliance Africa (OHDAA)
The One Health Data Alliance Africa (OHDAA) implemented by the Africa Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU IBAR) with funding from the German Government aims to improve digital One Health governance and data management in Africa.
Objectives:
The OHDAA project is working towards three main outputs:
The development and endorsement of the One Health Information Policy and Information Architecture for a Digitalized One Health that will enable pan-African exchange and utilization of One Health data for pandemic detection, prevention, and control.
Supporting countries to establish the technological and institutional prerequisites for digitalized One Health governance and management; and
The development of information materials on implementing One Digital Health concepts in the region through a Community of Practice.
Key Activities
We contributed to drafting of the Africa Union One Health Information Policy and Information Architecture (IP&IA) framework.
We are working towards the establishment of a Digital One Health Platform (DOHP) for the continent. A repository with key One Health information for decision support. Most of the data flowing into the DOHP will be collected from Member States (MSs) among other sources. MSs will be involved in the data collection, consolidation, and analytics.
Working with AU IBAR, we are strengthening Digital One Health governance through the establishment of a Digital One Health Governance Committee, a Secretariat, and key Technical Working Groups (TWG).
We are also working with GIZ to provide direct support to Malawi, Rwanda, and Cameroon to strengthen One Health governance, data management, and data use, based on key priority One Health indicators.
Results/Impact (Achieved /anticipated)
The OHDAA initiative will improve prevention, detection, and response to One Health incidents. More specifically, we are working towards the following results:
One Health governance and data management improved across the continent.
One Health Information Policy and Information Architecture endorsed by the African Union.
Governance mechanisms for One Health strengthened at the national, regional, and continental levels.
A Digital One Health Platform (DOHP) in place, enabling evidence-based decision support on the One Health domain in the African continent.
Resource
https://www.au-ibar.org/au-ibar-news/advancing-one-health-african-unions-digital-platform-initiative-takes-shape
