One Health: WOAH and the CDC Strengthen Their Cooperation

  Bernard Vallat, Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and his counterpart Tom Frieden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that they would strengthen their collaboration on issues related to international health security during their meeting on March 2 and 3 in Atlanta.   The two directors discussed priorities for several topics related to the “One Health” concept in the fight against disease and in public health. Several shared interests were identified as paramount. - Preventing the risks of antimicrobial resistance: Plans to prevent antimicrobial resistance are increasing in industrialized countries but remain limited or even nonexistent in the rest of the world, thereby reducing their global impact. - The fight against rabies: The disease still kills one person worldwide every ten minutes (see here). It is worth noting that preventing rabies is less costly through vaccination campaigns for dogs—often stray dogs—than through treating people who have been bitten, primarily children and often in disadvantaged regions. - The use of information systems on animal diseases, including zoonoses: WOAH highlights its World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS). - The need to strengthen national animal health systems in order to better detect and respond to risks originating from wildlife (Ebola) and to eradicate rinderpest. - Biosecurity management in veterinary laboratories.   While the United States is among the top performers in terms of WOAH standards, it is seeking more sustained cooperation. In particular, the WOAH has developed the PVS (Performance, Vision, Strategy) protocol for veterinary services, which goes beyond the International Health Regulations (IHR).   The efforts of both organizations are part of a broader context: the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), launched by U.S. President Barack Obama nearly a year ago, on February 13, 2014. The “One Health” concept was once again highlighted at that time. Chaired by Finland in 2015, the GHSA Steering Group comprises ten nations (Canada, Chile, Finland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, and the United States). This operational group is responsible for monitoring progress, identifying challenges, and overseeing implementation to achieve the GHSA’s objectives in support of international standards established by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the WOAH.   The participating nations in this program are Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam, and Yemen.