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ISAVET frontline training – field epidemiology investigation to save lives

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The direct cost of zoonotic diseases at global level, over the last decade, has been estimated to be more than $20 billion with over $200 billion indirect losses to affected economies as a whole. The impact of disease is much greater due to loss of lives, biodiversity and livelihoods, and social welfare in the countries such as those in the West and Central Africa region.

In 2019, FAO, through its Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Disease Control (ECTAD), partnered with the Institute of Animal Infectious Diseases (IIAD) of the University of Texas A&M, as part of the Global Health Security Agenda Program (GHSA) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to build the field epidemiology capacity of the veterinary workforce of countries in West and Central Africa. “This training is an innovative tailored field epidemiology training program for Veterinary professionals to respond to specific needs in Africa” states Baba Soumare, Regional Manager, FAO ECTAD West and Central Africa. The Frontline In Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) programme is a four-month training programme consisting of four weeks of formal training followed by three months of field project. Soumare explains more about how this training programme evolved and the effect it is having since it was launched: “In 2019, ISAVET targeted more than 20 Frontline veterinarians from ten countries in West and Central Africa: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Now, the number has increased to 86 trainers and mentors and prospects are to train 250 veterinarians every year to serve as front-line fighters against animal diseases to safeguard lives and livelihoods”.

ISAVET supports COVID-19 case investigation

In the context of growing emerging pandemics threats, ISAVET is proving to be critical in availing skilled One Health workforce to enable countries in West and Central Africa to prepare for the detection and response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases, but also to intervene in the event of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic we are currently experiencing. Soumare describes how “ISAVET graduated trainees have been extremely valuable as human resources during the COVID-19 pandemic”. He continues “In Ghana, an ISAVET trainee was part of COVID-19 contact tracing team and detected the first case of COVID-19 recorded in Jaman North District. Other ISAVET trainees supported COVID-19 sample collection and testing at the Accra Veterinary Laboratory and at the Kotoka International Airport”. Liberia, another country implementing customized ISAVET programme has seen instances of ISAVET students involved and supporting the response to the pandemic. According to Soumare “Three Liberian ISAVET trainees, also part of the national One Health platform, are involved in COVID-19 case investigation and in the training of Community Health Volunteers and Community Animal Health Workers on COVID-19 case detection”. And this is not the only example, since in Senegal and Sierra Leone too, ISAVET trainees participated in the investigations of COVID-19 epidemic and contact tracing.

ISAVET improves veterinary sector sustainability

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has embarked on supporting countries to improve the capacity of their veterinary services through the implementation of the ISAVET in-service training programme targeting frontline veterinary staff, mentors and trainers. By the end of 2020, it will be launched at the national level in 14 countries. The programme is designed to help frontline veterinary staff to fill in the gaps in the animal health sector to prevent, detect and respond to outbreaks in a timely manner and therefore protect human health, reduce animal losses, assure consumer protection, promote safe trade and improve livelihoods.

The Frontline ISAVET program uses applied, hands-on, in-service training to build a cadre of skilled frontline veterinarians who can conduct effective surveillance and outbreak response under a One Health approach that sees human, animal and environmental health as a closely related block. The ISAVET training for veterinary field officers is a good example of sustainability for the future of the region as it aims to improve the capacity of countries to plan, prepare, respond to and overcome critical health threats. To ensure its sustainable implementation, FAO involves government ministries in decisions, ensures the programme is housed within each Ministry of Agriculture and/or Livestock, and advocates for ownership at country and regional levels.