The Network for Evaluation of One Health: evidence-based added value of One Health

Abstract

The concept of ‘One Health’ aims at approaching zoonotic diseases from a complex systems thinking perspective, encompassing local to global implications, a continuum of timescales, and the interactions between different sectors influencing the occurrence of such diseases. The Network for Evaluation of One Health (NEOH), which is funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), is an open network that brings together experts, researchers and policymakers from diverse backgrounds interested in the subject. NEOH aims to address the questions ‘does One Health work?’ and ‘is One Health worthwhile?’ and to generate a standardized evidence-based framework on the added value of addressing zoonotic diseases from a One Health perspective that would motivate and encourage enablers and value chain actors to apply methods at the relevant scale. The overall objective of NEOH is to enable appropriate evaluations of One Health interventions through the elaboration of a methodological framework and guide. This will allow the comparison of results between different interventions on zoonotic diseases using the same methodological approach. In addition, it will point out the most cost-effective alternatives, helping the decision-making process and public health policy formulation. NEOH will deliver 1) A science-based, standardized framework for the evaluation of interventions on zoonotic diseases; 2) a suite of example evaluations following the framework developed through NEOH; 3) a networked community of experts collaborating to assess the value of One Health; and 4) a pool of early-stage researchers trained in performing evaluations of One Health activities. The first activity of the network, which was launched in November 2014, was the development of a roadmap for the design of an evaluation protocol and guidelines. These will then be applied to several case studies across different regions. Through the NEOH members, a meta-analysis of the case studies will be performed. COST is a unique means for European researchers, engineers, and scholars to jointly develop their own ideas and new initiatives across all fields of science and technology. COST, through its ‘Actions’, exclusively funds the networking activities but not the research in itself, which should be funded through other sources. The main Action activities are organized into four working groups (WGs) (see flowchart below), each comprising a mix of expert members from both social and natural sciences. Work Group 1 aims at developing a standardized and widely accepted framework, index, and protocol for systematic evaluation of One Health, taking into account various disciplinary perspectives and resulting complexity. This includes identification and description of the health, economic, environmental, agricultural, social, and cultural impacts of One Health; compilation and comparison of metrics and methods available to measure these impacts based on a literature review (including technical and data requirements, and presentation of examples); mapping of pathways to impact; and categorization and prioritization of One Health challenges. The index may include inputs (investments/resources) to human, animal, environmental, and public health, and combinations of key outputs from the relevant fields and focus on measurable and comparable metrics (e.g. life expectancy, disability-adjusted life years, productivity, animal welfare, anthropometric measures, and income). The application of the framework, protocol, and index is coordinated by Work Group 2. Its members aim to use or facilitate access to available primary and secondary datasets stemming from the ongoing One Health projects they are involved in (data on use of growth promoters in poultry production, mass drug administration for helminth control, land-use change, pathogen emergence, etc.). They also seek to apply the protocol in One Health projects in their institutions and local networks and actively create opportunities for the testing of the framework, index, and protocol. To conduct a meta-analysis of the available case study results to facilitate international comparison and the elaboration of policy recommendations is the domain of Work Group 3. In addition, the case studies and meta-analyses are to be published in joint publications. Work Group 4 seeks to establish a dialogue with relevant stakeholders to get their input and feedback. During the life of the project, its participants are responsible for the website, the establishment of internal and external communication, the strategy covering the dissemination of contracted products (journal articles, popular articles, conference presentations, etc.), and invitation of key decision makers to relevant NEOH meetings. National and international dissemination of the handbook and active promotion in the scientific community is envisaged to facilitate implementation of further case studies and generation of evidence in different settings and contexts. Work Group 4 is also in charge of establishing a conference organization committee to provide continuity in the organization of networking events and to ensure a high quality of events in collaboration with the local organizers. In NEOH we organize regular action workshops, management committee meetings, and working group meetings. Furthermore, we offer training schools, short-term scientific missions, conference grants for early-stage researchers, and support for dissemination meetings. Researchers, engineers, or scholars from universities, research centers (large and small), public and private organizations from all 35 COST member countries and its cooperating states, from any field related to One Health, and at any career stage, can join the network. In addition, researchers from institutions in neighboring countries and international partner countries as well as from international organizations can participate in NEOH on the basis of mutual benefit. The NEOH consortium explicitly welcomes new members with an interest in this field. If you would like to join NEOH, please visit the ‘how to join’ section on the NEOH webpage. http://neoh.onehealthglobal.net/contact-and-how-to-join/ Eva Haxton, PhLic, MAClinical MicrobiologyDepartment of Medical SciencesUppsala UniversityUppsala, Sweden Špela Šinigoj, MADepartment of SociologyFaculty of Arts, University of LjubljanaLjubljana, Slovenia Ana Rivière-Cinnamond, DVM, MSc, PhDIHR, Alert and Response to Epidemics, Water-Borne Diseases Unit (IHR)Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis (CHA)Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO)Lima, Peru