Global One Health News

GOHi provides training for microbiologists in Ethiopia

The Global One Health initiative (GOHi), in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provided training for seven microbiologists at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) National Reference Laboratory. Emily Schmitt-Matzen and Natashia Reese from the CDC led the class.

Clinical specimen collection training in Ethiopia

GOHi, in collaboration with the EPHI, provided a two-day clinical specimen training in April to healthcare workers from Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) and Zewditu Memorial Hospital (ZMH). The GOHi Eastern Africa office led presentations, practical demonstrations and discussions for 53 healthcare workers from TASH and 25 healthcare workers from ZMH.

GOHi facilitates Simulation Exercise workshop

In collaboration the EPHI, GOHi conducted a protocol preparation workshop for Simulation Exercise (SimEx) – a tool to monitor and evaluate countries' International Health Regulations capacities – to 15 participants in April. This SimEx aims to help develop, assess, test and evaluate the functional capabilities of Ethiopia's public health emergency systems, procedures and mechanisms by simulating a response to an evolving public health emergency.

External news

One Health High-Level Expert Panel releases new white paper on zoonotic spillover prevention

The One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) recently published a white paper calling for the enhanced prevention of zoonotic spillover within the triad of Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response at the request of the Quadripartite organizations. The paper advocates for the need to reduce the risk of zoonotic disease spillover at the source through improved prevention measures. This approach is more “efficient than relying on the disease detection and response.” The paper endorses the need for a larger commitment in preventing future pandemics. The research notes that efforts to prevent epidemics usually begin after the microorganism (pathogen) has made the leap from animals to humans (described as a spillover event), which allows a given disease to re-emerge or new ones to emerge.