How can the health of wildlife impact the health of human populations? Boundaries between species are much more blurry than it seems. At the animal-human interface, where wildlife and humans meet, pathogens can jump from one species to the next through a phenomenon called zoonotic spillover.

©WOAH/S. Muset

The blurring lines between species

The more humans come into contact with wildlife, the more likely they are to face spillover. And this works both ways: endangered species that are approached by humans are at higher risk of contracting dangerous human pathogens, or reverse zoonoses. This is particularly worrisome for endangered or vulnerable species, as zoonoses can increase biodiversity loss.

Wildlife health is everyone’s health

Wildlife species are essential to maintain balanced ecosystems. For example, bats pollinate plants, disperse seeds and protect other animals from diseases by eating insects. When wildlife species die of zoonoses or reverse zoonoses, it can set a ripple effect through the environment, impacting human health and the very survival of ecosystems.

Human encroachment into wildlife natural habitats through deforestation, intensive agriculture, mining, or urbanisation, increases human contact with wildlife and fosters hotspots for disease emergence. Once a zoonosis has emerged, it can quickly spread from one country to the next, causing global pandemics.

Our worlds are not separate. When humans eat animal products, when they handle domesticated animals, when they visit wildlife habitats… They can participate in the spread of zoonoses which affect animal and human health alike. In this photo, bushmeat is being prepared for human consumption.

©J.F. Lagrot

Building trust with communities

Because of zoonotic spillover, humans and wildlife alike are vulnerable to many diseases such as viral haemorrhagic fevers. By looking out for tell-tale signs of zoonoses, including unusual deaths and behaviour in wildlife, local communities are the first in line to alert national Veterinary Services or wildlife authorities. Who in turn can launch investigations and help prevent isolated cases of a disease from escalating into full-blown epidemics.

Informed communities are empowered to protect themselves, other humans and wildlife.

©WOAH/E. Muweza

Why is community engagement vital to prevent zoonotic outbreaks?

People living near or within natural ecosystems such as rainforests are generally isolated and lack access to information on how to protect themselves, wildlife and domestic animals.

To preserve both human and wildlife health, the EBO-SURSY Project reached out to communities through radio campaigns focused on raising awareness on wildlife diseases and prevention strategies.

©IRD/P. Becquart

To sensitize surveillance stakeholders all along the chain, from community members to Veterinary Services, the EBO-SURSY Project also disseminated a collaborative game called “Alert” in 10 countries.

40 facilitators representing 3 different sectors were trained in Senegal and Cameroon. Their role was to help disseminate the game to a broader audience.

After their training, the new facilitators tested their skills on 160 students from the public health and veterinary sectors. In the future, the game will be used in universities across the region to train a new generation of veterinarians on One Health.

Building capacity and raising community awareness are essential steps to establishing strong national surveillance systems, but they are not enough. Countries need masterplans to monitor pathogens and to provide guidance on how to react in case of an outbreak. In other words, they need surveillance protocols.

Predicting and preventing outbreaks

Surveillance protocols may seem simple. However their implementation depend on many factors, including a reliable supply of sampling material, functioning cold chains, efficient laboratories and roads, trained professionals, and even public communications. The financial resources this implies is substantial. Surveillance protocols in some countries are only now being put into place, despite countless outbreaks of dangerous pathogens.

©WOAH/S. Muset

To help national Veterinary Services and wildlife professionals build effective surveillance protocols step-by-step, the EBO-SURSY project held three regional workshops. Some attendee countries also asked for support in holding national-level workshops to refine the draft protocols for their priority diseases. A holistic approach involving professionals from across the One Health spectrum was adopted throughout.

From sampling bats or wildlife feces in Cameroon forests to domestic pigs in Guinean farms, the project collected a large amount of data to better understand transmission patterns. All of the data collected has been made accessible on a digital portal, to support knowledge sharing across borders and across scientific institutions.