ComAcross: Companion approach for cross-sectoral collaboration in health risk management in Southeast Asia

This programme is designed to improve the health and well-being of fragile populations in Southeast Asia at the interface of animals, humans and the environment.

Project start date:

01/02/2014

Project end date:

31/01/2018

Objectives

The programme aims to build capacity, particularly for the most vulnerable countries in Southeast Asia, to respond to and prepare for emerging infectious disease risks at the animal/human/environmental interface. The project is based on the development of innovative cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder collaborations for the implementation of the One Health approach.

Main objectives:

  • Improving the health of populations at risk through better intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration between traditional One Health (OH) actors and non-traditional actors (natural resources and rural development sector) at local, national and regional scales in Southeast Asia (SEA).
  • Establishing an OH practice community in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, attractive to other SEA countries, based on OH case studies in order to develop an operational and analytical framework for true cross-sector collaboration.

Location

Cambodia, Laos, Thailand.

Description

Main activities:

  • Facilitating knowledge sharing and cross-sectoral activities in the context of a case study on the management of flood-related diseases (Thailand), Japanese encephalitis (Cambodia), parasitic livestock zoonoses (Laos) and Nipah virus (at the regional scale) as part of a One Health/Ecohealth approach implemented in various fields.
  • Capacity building for regional actors (government technical services, those working on the ground, academic staff and laboratory personnel) in diagnosis, knowledge sharing and data management related to epidemiological, socioeconomic and environmental dynamics.
  • Developing and coordinating higher education programmes taking a One Health approach.
  • Introducing a strategy for the dissemination of results and communication routines (application of ICT tools) aimed at reinforcing One Health practices for decision makers and key institutional actors in the region.

Expected results:

  • Stakeholders in the rural development and environmental sectors will become involved in OH practice communities alongside public and veterinary health actors.
  • Knowledge sharing and collaboration solutions will be identified for actors in human and veterinary public health, environment and rural development in the target countries.
  • The technical skills of the target groups will be improved taking an intersectoral and interdisciplinary perspective.
  • A higher academic training offer promoting the One Health approach will be available in the region.

Partners

  • Kasetsart University (KU)
  • Institut Pasteur au Cambodge (IPC)
  • University of Oxford
  • LaoOxford Mahosot Wellcome Trust Research Unit (LOMWRU)
  • National University of Laos (NUoL), Faculty of Agriculture

Fundings

EuropeAid, European Union.