Health
Neglected Zoonotic Diseases (NZDs) place a huge burden on society, especially in areas of high poverty, but do not receive the same kind of attention from health organisations as diseases such as malaria and AIDS. The ADVANZ project is aiming to improve knowledge and understanding of how NZDs are spread by providing advocacy materials for governments, professionals and civilians alike.
ADVANZ: fighting back against zoonotic diseases
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines zoonoses as “any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans and vice-versa”. Some of these diseases, such as avian influenza, have been dealt with in an effective manner across the world. However, a number of endemic zoonoses, highly prevalent in poor and marginalised populations with limited access to health services, still cause severe morbidity and mortality in both humans and animals. These diseases are less well known and of low interest to policy makers and funding bodies despite their high cost to resource- poor and marginalised communities.
Artist: Joseph Kariuki ©Avia-GIS. Recent years have seen a growing
recognition that a number of these zoonoses merit more attention from the global health community. With only 0.06 per cent of global assistance for health devoted to controlling Neglected Zoonotic Diseases (NZDs), the current state of affairs leaves them vastly underfunded in proportion to the burden they place upon the population. Professor Maria Vang Johansen explains how the situation began to be dealt with: “In 2006 the WHO in collaboration with DFID, FAO and OIE released a report highlighting eight zoonotic diseases that required attention”. The report was followed up by meetings and reports documenting
the severity of the diseases and the importance of addressing them.
Raising awareness In light of this information, the FP7 funded ADVANZ consortium was set up in 2012. Following on from various programmes and projects of the past, its stated aim is “to persuade decision makers and empower stakeholders at local, regional and international levels towards a coordinated fight against NZDs”. The focus of the consortium is mainly in Africa, where the burden from these diseases is the heaviest. Professor Samson Mukaratirwa describes why these diseases do not attract the same
Most cows are healthy, but some cows may have illnesses which can be passed on to people by drinking milk that has not been boiled or cooked. Two of these diseases are brucellosis and the bovine form of tuberculosis.
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