The Action for Animal Health coalition has made recommendations on the draft Articles 4, 5 and 6 of a pandemic agreement, as shared with relevant stakeholders by the INB last week.
As negotiations reach their final stages, the coalition urges all member states to remember that rapid detection and response to zoonotic diseases in animals is essential to protect us all from another pandemic. The need for collaboration between the human health sector and veterinary services cannot be overstated.
Preventing, detecting and responding to zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential in animals will have knock-on impacts for people who rely on animals for their livelihoods. Securing animal health means income security, food security and better health and wellbeing.
As the relevance of the One Health concept to the agreement is deliberated by Member States, the coalition wishes to remind stakeholders that One Health is not new. Many countries are already operationalising the concept to reduce their zoonotic disease burden.
Read the coalition’s recommendations here.
Animal health systems are critical to the prevention of disease, the early detection of pathogens, reporting, control, and prevention of spread. But many remain under resourced, putting people and animals at risk of the impact of diseases with pandemic potential as well as anti-microbial resistance.
Contact: ellie.parravani[at]thebrooke.org