Joint Risk Assessment Operational Tool Jra Ot An Operational Tool Of The Tripartite Zoonoses Guide Taking A Multisectoral One Health Approach A Tripartite Guide To Addressing Zoonotic Diseases In Countries

Zoonotic diseases, i.e. those affecting animals and humans, need a different, holistic approach to risk assessment engaging all sectors involved in their management and control. Joint Risk Assessment (JRA) brings these sectors together to assess risks from zoonotic disease threats at the animal-human-environmental interface jointly. The JRA operational tool is part of the Tripartite Zoonoses Guide and is intended for use by staff from national ministries responsible for human health, animal health, and the environment, or other government agencies that are responsible for the control and management of zoonotic diseases, in particular epidemiologists, with the close involvement of laboratory staff, risk managers and communication officers. The operational tool presents the principles of JRA and its role in informing policy development. It provides guidance on how to set up a joint qualitative risk assessment process and describes step-by-step how to conduct each component of the process. The Annexes include model documents and templates to support implementation. A JRA provides decision-makers with scientifically sound advice that can be used to inform risk management and communication policies for an effective response to a zoonotic disease threat. Routine JRA supports international regulations, such as International Health Regulations and the OIE standards, by providing a mechanism to effectively address management decisions and communications based on a JRA. When done jointly and across the spectrum of different sectors they are more likely to be relevant and acceptable to all stakeholders, and therefore also more likely to be effective.

The 2018 FAO-OIE-WHO (Tripartite) zoonoses guide, “Taking A Multisectoral, One Health Approach: A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases in Countries” (2018 TZG) is being jointly developed to provide member countries with practical guidance on OH approaches to build national mechanisms for multisectoral coordination, communication, and collaboration to address zoonotic disease threats at the animal-human-environment interface. The 2018 TZG updates and expands on the guidance in the one previous jointly-developed, zoonoses-specific guidance document: the 2008 Tripartite “Zoonotic Diseases: A Guide to Establishing Collaboration between Animal and Human Health Sectors at the Country Level”, developed in WHO South-East Asia Region and Western Pacific Region. The 2018 TZG supports building by countries of the resilience and capacity to address emerging and endemic zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, rabies, Ebola, and Rift Valley fever, as well as food-borne diseases and antimicrobial resistance, and to minimize their impacts on health, livelihoods, and economies. It additionally supports country efforts to implement WHO International Health Regulations (2005) and OIE international standards, to address gaps identified through external and internal health system evaluations, and to achieve targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2018 TZG provides relevant country ministries and agencies with lessons learned and good practices identified from country-level experiences in taking OH approaches for preparedness, prevention, detection and response to zoonotic disease threats, and provides guidance on multisectoral communication, coordination, and collaboration. It informs on regional and country-level OH activities and relevant unisectoral and multisectoral tools available for countries to use.

The Multisectoral Coordination Mechanisms Operational Tool (MCM OT) was developed by the Tripartite organizations (FAO, WOAH (EX.OIE) and WHO) and technical experts to support national authorities to provide additional support in the area of establishing or strengthening government mechanisms for multisectoral coordination for zoonotic disease and other One Health challenges. These mechanisms allow countries to coordinate administrative and technical activities that support efficient and effective collaboration for improved health security, preparedness and response to One Health threats.

Zoonotic diseases pose risks to both animal and human health and impact livelihoods, economies, and national and global food and health security. Surveillance is an essential part of prevention and control of zoonotic diseases but cannot be effectively addressed by one sector alone. A collaborative, One Health approach and a coordinated multisectoral surveillance system are essential to rapidly identify and respond to zoonotic disease events within a country. The Surveillance and Information Sharing Operational tool (SIS OT) is a Tripartite (FAO, WHO, WOAH) tool developed under the leadership of FAO to support national authorities to establish or strengthen their coordinated, multisectoral surveillance and information sharing for zoonotic diseases. The SIS OT is based on the principles presented in the Tripartite Zoonosis Guide, in particular on “Surveillance for zoonotic diseases and information sharing”. It includes the guidance document with annexes and the Excel-based tool (SIS OT workbook). It is intended for use by a working group or in a workshop setting, by participants representing the animal health, human health, environmental health and other relevant sectors within a country that have responsibility for zoonotic diseases. It provides guidance and a stepwise method and instrument for assessing the national structures and mechanisms already in place. It links users to a curated set of existing resources developed by the Tripartite and other institutions that can help develop or improve that capacity. Finally, the SIS OT guides development of a roadmap and SIS development plan to use those resources to bridge existing structures and build or strengthen the country’s coordinated surveillance system.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2020 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an arboviral disease affecting humans and livestock transmitted by mosquitoes. It is endemic to large areas of Africa, resulting in widespread abortion and neonatal mortality in livestock, and severe complications in a small but significant percentage of human cases. The range of RVF is largely determined by the distribution of suitable vector habitat and rainfall, which changes over time and as a result of climate change. In addition to which, the movement of animals and animal products for trade may lead to the spread of RVF to previously non-infected areas. This RVF Action Framework is intended to provide decision makers with guidance on the best course of action to take in response to an RVF outbreak or the risk of an outbreak, and help them develop a national action plan for this response. A coordinated One Health approach that brings together the public, animal and environmental health sectors is recommended, as is a risk-based approach that uses risk assessment and mapping to determine the appropriate measures to be taken and the locations where they are required. A country’s RVF response can be best broken down into the four phases of the epidemiological cycle: the inter-epidemic, pre-epidemic, epidemic and post-epidemic periods. Surveillance, risk assessment and capacity building, for instance, are key during the inter-epidemic period, while the focus during the post-epidemic period shifts to mitigating the disease’s impact.

One Health (OH) is an emerging innovative approach that aims to promote collaboration and coordination among health sectors to address health threats at the human–animal–environment interface including zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In view of this, Egypt has early embraced the OH approach for effective mitigation of emerging zoonotic diseases, especially following the avian influenza crisis, through promoting the 4-way linking and further establishment of the OH technical advisory group (OH-TAG) as well as disease-specific technical working groups (TWGs). The training manual will be used as a national reference document for sensitizing health professionals on the concept and application of the OH approach for tackling zoonotic diseases and AMR in a coordinated manner, by providing specific examples of joint actions for implementation by the ministries in charge of human health, animal health and environmental health.