Conveners
Session 9: One Health in Public Health II
- Michaela Projahn
- Katharina Schaufler
Lower respiratory tract infections are among the leading causes of death for children under five in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Streptococcus pneumoniae being the most common causative agent. Beyond its public health impact, S. pneumoniae has been shown to have implications for the conservation of endangered species, as humans have inadvertently transmitted the bacteria to wild great apes...
Background: Anthrax is a recurrent zoonotic threat in Uganda, with eleven outbreaks reported in 2024. On September 17, 2024, the Ministry of Health confirmed two human anthrax deaths in Kanungu District–the first recorded outbreak in the district. We investigated to determine the scope, identify risk factors, and recommend evidence-based control measures.
Methods: We defined a suspected...
Background
Uganda has responded to 37 anthrax outbreaks in the past decade. In 2021, the country adopted the 7-1-7 framework which stipulates outbreak detection in 7 days, notification in 1 day and completion of early response actions in 7 days. Kanungu District at the border with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported its first known anthrax outbreak on September 17, 2024. We assessed...
Inter-agency collaboration involves cooperation and/or coordination between two or more institutions or within components of the same institution. This collaboration can be defined as any joint activity that achieves a greater public benefit than if the institution were to act alone. Complex challenges such as climate change and preserving the health of humans, animals, plants and the...
Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) causes mostly fatal encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Its distribution area is restricted to parts of Southern and Eastern Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Spillover to dead-end hosts results from direct and/or indirect contact to bicolored white-toothed shrews (Crocidura leucodon), the natural BoDV-1 reservoir, which shed the virus via...
On July 24, 2024, Uganda confirmed its first mpox outbreak, with initial cases detected in Kasese and Mayuge Districts. As a newly emergent disease, mpox posed unfamiliar clinical and operational challenges for healthcare workers (HCWs), whose limited experience and stigma surrounding the illness risked eroding confidence and undermining psychological well-being. To guide tailored support...
