A global plan will fight under the One Health approach to reduce the risk of emerging zoonoses
The Preventing Zoonotic Diseases Emergence (PREZODE) initiative was presented within the framework of the One Planet Biodiversity Summit.
In the framework of the One Planet Biodiversity Summit, held on January 11, the Preventing Zoonotic Diseases Emergence (PREZODE) initiative was presented, which aims to fight zoonotic diseases globally and will begin in 2022.
To do this, three French institutes have partnered with 10 other research organizations in France, Germany, and the Netherlands in a project involving more than 1,000 researchers in 50 countries. These institutes are the Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD), the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), and the Development Research Institute (IRD).
Others involved are the French Agency for Food, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), the Institut Pasteur, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut in Germany, and the Wageningen University of Holland.
Five pillars
The five pillars of PREZODE are:
- zoonotic risk analysis.
- reduce zoonotic risk.
- early detection and evaluation of socio-economic impacts.
- an international zoonotic risk monitoring system.
- stakeholder engagement and development of regional health and biodiversity networks.
As tasks for this year, the PREZODE plan will outline a scientific and strategic action plan, create a governance system and draw up a roadmap with performance indicators. A digital platform will also be established to collect and share data with stakeholders. In 2022 a concrete action and research program will be ready.
In line with the One Health approach
The initiative is designed to incorporate and strengthen networks on human health, animal welfare, and the environment in line with the One Health approach. Efforts should ultimately lead to identifying and reducing the main factors at the root of emerging zoonosis risks.
The researchers noted that science must stay one step ahead of future health crises by anticipating the risks of emerging diseases and detecting them early so that action can be taken before the disease spreads.
Greater support
QU Dongyu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), supported the program to map, assess and mitigate the risks of potentially emerging zoonotic pathogens.
He offered the use of the Joint FAO / WHO Center, which works on food safety, animal diseases, and antimicrobial resistance, and the Center for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture led by FAO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
For her part, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also welcomed the PREZODE initiative. “When temperatures rise and nature disappears, we suffer more natural disasters and zoonotic diseases. We will invest several hundred million euros over the next four years in research: on biodiversity, animal health, emerging diseases, and much more” she said.
Gavin Edwards, the WWF Global Coordinator for Nature and People, noted that working to help prevent the next pandemic was vital: “Linking the health of people, animals and our shared environment under a One Health can lead governments to take stronger and more urgent action for wildlife and address the ongoing loss of nature through unsustainable agriculture. While the world is still in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, it has never been more important that we do everything we can to prevent the next. "
Comments
Related Articles
Copyright © 2025 - All Rights Reserved
ISSN 2768-198X
List
Add
Please enter a comment