VN November 2021

Vetnews | November 2021 9 The current spate of disease outbreaks, namely Covid 19, Rabies, Foot and Mouth Disease, and Avian Influenza, reignited the question as to the best way to manage diseases to limit their impact on human-, environmental- and animal systems to ensure safety, security and sustainability for a healthy and prosperous life for all. South Africa, as one of the 196 members of the World Health Organisation, has a binding international legal agreement to uphold the International Health Regulations (2005) to assist the international community in preventing and responding to acute public health risks that potentially could cross borders and threaten people worldwide. The public health response must prevent, protect against, control, and provide for ways commensurate with and restricted to the public health risks without unnecessarily interfering in international traffic and trade. A One-Health approach allows South Africa to have systems to identify and assess potential public health threats. Although there is a plethora of information available on One Health, the disconnect between the various stakeholders, the lack of coordination between these stakeholders, and the failure to resource and implement plans is the Achilles heel of effective public health responses. To address the impasse, the South African One Health Forum was established in 2014. The goal of the OHF is to strengthen collaboration and coordination between public health, animal health, and the environmental sectors for the prevention and control of mainly zoonotic diseases and to meet South Africa’s International Health Regulations obligations. The One Health Forum includes representatives of National and Provincial Departures of Health, National and Provincial Veterinary Services, Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, the National Institute of CommunicableDiseases (NICD), Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (ARC-OVR) and academia. The Forum, co- chaired by NICD and ARC-OVR, established a Steering Committee in 2015 that serves to guide the activities of the larger OHF. The Terms of Reference for the One Health Forum is: • To identify priority areas for action along the OH theme; • To identify and list existing surveillance programs as well as identify challenges and gaps. • To identify training needs in the country for all OH stakeholders associated with priority areas; • To ensure a safe food supply; • To strengthen communication on OH matters; • To align and collaborate on outbreak and disaster preparedness and response; • To identify research gaps and challenges to relevant research concerning priority areas in OH in the country. Since its inception, the OHF has held several stakeholder meetings, including specialist meetings such as International One Health Day Symposiums and InternationalWorld Rabies Days events. A national workshop to prioritise zoonoses across the relevant sectors in South Africa was held in 2016 that subsequently drafted a comprehensive list of functioning expert and advisory groups on zoonotic diseases and anti-microbial resistance. As a next step, theOHF is drafting a framework for implementing the One Health approach in South Africa, which will, when complete, guide the activities of various stakeholders. Whenmovingbeyond the three knowncircles ofOneHealth, namely Human, Animal and Environment, and to properly interrogate the myriad of factors impacting on the health and welfare of humans, animals and the environment, South Africa will have to extend the One Health Forum and create a deliberate formal structure, adequately resourced, to develop and respond to public health challenges effectively. As the South African Veterinary Association believes that we, as a representative of most veterinarians in South Africa and a network of animal health-related industries, can positively contribute to this domain, active canvassing is done to become a permanent member of the One Health Forum. In order to manage public health threats optimally and effectively in a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach, an in-depth appreciation must be executed, recognising the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment must be done commissioned. Such a program has to be supported by the government, adequately resourced, monitored and controlled for successful implementation. v The Implementation of One Health in South Africa Article Dr Paul van der Merwe BVSc, BVSc(Hons), MMEdVet(Fer) President-Elect of the South African Veterinary Association