Seminar on Mapping One Health Initiatives in Latin America

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Mode of Conduction: Hybrid (Online and at University of Guelph, Canada)

Type: Seminar

Speaker: Natalia Cediel Becerra

Event Date and Registration: December 04, 2024

Details: https://onehealth.uoguelph.ca/one-health-seminar-series/

The One Health seminar series showcases the depth and breadth of One Health research at the University of Guelph, and beyond! These 50-minute talks feature a 30-minute presentation by a One Health practitioner, followed by an audience Q&A. Everyone is welcome, particularly graduate students and faculty.

Presentation Description: 

Mapping One Health (OH) initiatives and stakeholders in Latin America is a key first step in the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) One Health policy.

International agencies such as PAHO and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) have strengthened the capacity of many countries around the prevention of zoonoses for more than 6 decades, creating a good baseline for OH implementation. There are many existing OH initiatives already in place in Latin countries within the public and private sectors, including within non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

In July 2022, public health and agricultural defense authorities from countries in the Americas met in Brazil to develop a regional baseline regarding the use of the One Health approach in intersectoral actions, with an eye towards improving management of public health problems at the human-animal-environment interface. Myriad examples of multisectoral communication, collaboration, coordination and capacity building regarding control and prevention of zoonoses control, food safety, and AMR programs were discussed. Interestingly, most of these initiatives were not identified as One Health.  

There is already installed capacity for multisectoral cooperation mechanisms that should be strengthened to better face future health emergencies. Mapping stakeholders and initiatives lays the groundwork for OH implementation in Latin America and is a best practice for OH governance.