The Namibian government, in collaboration with Africa CDC, has officially launched a comprehensive five-year One Health National Strategy. This initiative, named the Tripartite One Health National Strategy 2024-2028, aims to address the interrelated health threats between humans, animals, and the environment. Developed with the combined efforts of the Ministries of Health and Social Services, Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, the strategy also received support from the University of Namibia, the United Nations Foods and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
During the launch event, Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services, emphasized the importance of the One Health approach in Namibia, highlighting the frequent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases and the effects of climate change. Dr Shangula underscored the strategy’s goal to establish and institutionalize a sustainable One Health Approach across all sectors in Namibia, starting at the community level. The vision is to promote healthy ecosystems to minimize the risks and impacts of emerging and re-emerging health threats at the human, animal, plant, and environmental interface.
The strategy focuses on six thematic areas: enhancing One Health capacities to strengthen health systems, reducing risks from emerging and re-emerging zoonotic epidemics and pandemics, controlling and eliminating zoonotic, neglected tropical, and vector-borne diseases, strengthening the assessment, management, and communication of food safety risks, curbing the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance, and integrating the environment into One Health. Dr Shangula pointed out that the One Health approach is crucial because 75% of emerging pathogens that cause epidemics in humans are of zoonotic origin.
Dr. Yewande Alimi, One Health Unit Lead at Africa CDC, praised the strong political commitment by the Namibian government and commended the ministers of Health and Social Services, Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and Agriculture, Water and Land Reform for their dedication to strengthening One Health in Namibia.
Representing FAO, UNEP, WHO, and the World Organisation for Animal Health, WHO country representative Dr Richard Banda acknowledged Namibia's initiative and noted that this action indicates the country's dedication to strengthening its capacity to prepare for, detect, and respond to public health emergencies and threats to health consequences.
The Tripartite One Health National Strategy will undergo annual reviews by the One Health multisectoral coordinating committee. Its activities will be integrated into existing strategies such as the National Action Plan for Health Security, Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response, Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Event-Based Surveillance, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Veterinary and Wildlife disease control interventions.
Africa CDC is working towards establishing a new public health order for Africa, empowering Member States to take control and responsibility for the health and wellness of their populations. This involves building public health workforce capacity, enhancing partnerships, harnessing public health assets through Regional Coordinating Centres and National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs), and supporting public health decisions through quality data. The agency advocates for the establishment and strengthening of NPHIs in all 55 Member States to prevent, respond to, and control public health events on the continent, aiming to achieve Agenda 2063: Africa We Want, using a One Health approach. The proposed African Union One Health strategy, to be developed jointly by relevant African Union institutions, aims to address shared health threats more holistically.
This landmark strategy signals a significant commitment by Namibia and its partners to address interconnected health challenges through a unified, multi-sectoral approach.
Article by Nyokabi Wanjiku
Photo/CDC
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