The Communications Lead and Programme Manager in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Mr. Harold Thomas has said that the One Health system has contributed heavily in the country’s health system and was able to position the country during the coronavirus outbreak that was well controlled causing minimum loss of lives and fewer infections.

He said Sierra Leone suffered greatly during the 2014 to 2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic, which had major human and economic impacts. While the nation was not well prepared then for such an outbreak, the lessons learned strengthened institutions and systems.

Mr. Thomas said the theme for this year is COVID-I9 and One Health Approach and they arehonoured to join hands with other partners and all the One Health stakeholders in Sierra Leone to recognize the One Health day, which is an important day.

“It helps us to create awareness on the need for the world to come together in tackling shared health threats emanating from the human-Animal-Environment interface. The One Health concept is not a new concept. It has been there for many years. However, the concept has become more popular in recent years because of the health threats that the world has faced in the recent years.”

The Communications Lead said interactions between humans, animals and the environment have increased in the last decades and most of the emerging and re-emerging diseases are now becoming a threat.

He said globalization has made the world a global village which is a good thing and unfortunately, this is how covid-19 became a pandemic in less than three months.

The Communications Lead averred that the One Health National Emergency Risk Communication Strategic Plan outlines overarching strategic objectives, communication aims, and actions that was taken during the precise period, in support of prevention and preparedness during the this outbreak.

Breakthrough Action said Sierra Leonehasto embrace Globalization with its pros and cons and they must look for ways of dealing with its cons. This is where One Health can help to deal with some of the undesired effects such as diseases.

One Health recognizes that no countries, governments, partners or communities can work in isolation in tackling the complex challenges of zoonotic diseases, antibiotic resistance, vector-borne diseases, food safety and security.

This is why One Health calls on everyone to work together to tackle these health threats collaboratively in a multi-sectorial and multidisciplinary approach at all levels of government: globally, regionally, nationally and locally.

Breakthrough Action calls for improved communication, coordination and collaboration among partners working in animal, human and environmental health. They said most of the people across the world would have ever thought there would be a disease that would cause as much disruption in the world as covid-19 has done. Yes the Ebola virus disease few years ago caused much devastation in West Africa (Sierra Leone. Liberia and Guinea) but the impact of covid-19 has been far greater globally. Covid-19 has affected lives and livelihoods globally and severely disrupted the economy. Not only have many people lost their lives but many others have lost jobs and months of schooling.

Indeed it will take years for the world to recover from the impact of COVID-19. At the Global level WHO has worked with all stakeholders at all levels (Globally, regionally and nationally) to coordinate the response to the covid-19 pandemic through a One Health approach.

WHO was able to quickly develop response guidelines and SOPS that many countries have adapted for their response. WHO has also been able to support development of diagnostics and is also involved in research to develop therapeutics and vaccines. These achievements have only been possible through broad based One Health partnerships One Health in Practice.

USAID also noted that Ebola gave us an opportunity to practice One Health approach in Sierra Leone, and indeed that is what started the One Health concept in Sierra Leone that has now helped us to tackle the covid-19 pandemic in a more organized manner.

WHO is happy to see good leadership at all levels of covid-19 response at national and sub-national level in Sierra Leone. The Presidential Task Force, NACOVERC and DICOCERCs have indeed done a splendid job in responding to covid-19. This would not have been possible without the One Health stakeholders from all sectors and disciplines that have supported the response. They appreciate the involvement of the various experts that have supported the country to combat covid-l9.

Some of these experts include doctors, nurses, laboratory technologists/technicians, disease detectives, veterinarians, researchers, policymakers, law enforcement officers and many others. They sincerely appreciate the One Health team spirit that they have witnessed from all the OneHealth experts and stakeholders in Sierra Leone.

“We believe this team spirit is what has ensured that cases and deaths from COVID-19 have been kept to a minimum. While the count has made tremendous progress in strengthening One Health platform and partnerships in the country, we believe there is still room for improvement.”

Breakthrough Action averred that they believe that One Health approach would help them tap support and expertise from many different eg roads, ICT, water and energy. Breakthrough Action will continue to support the government of Sierra Leone to strengthen One Health structures in the country through technical and financial support.

The country is now better equipped, but more can be done. We continue to establish procedures and systems to build resilience into current thinking and future response. Applying the lessons learned from the EVD outbreak to a national risk communication strategic plan will help ensure that future emergencies benefit from early and clear risk communication activities and that all partners understand their roles and responsibilities.

One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach — working at the local, regional, national, and global levels — with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

It has become increasingly clear over the past three decades that the majority of novel, emergent zoonotic infectious diseases originate in animals, especially wildlife, and that the principal drivers of their emergence are associated with human activities, including changes in ecosystems and land use, intensification of agriculture, urbanisation, and international travel and trade.

A collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach, cutting across boundaries of animal, human, and environmental health, is always needed to understand the ecology of each emerging zoonotic disease in order to undertake a risk assessment, and to develop plans for response and control.

 “The printing of this article is made possible with support from Breakthrough ACTION through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).”