Brucellosis One Health Research Project Update
Introduction Brucellosis a is complicated disease caused by Brucella bacteria, which severely affects both livestock productivity and human health, leading […]
What is One Health?
One Health is the concept that the health and well-being of people is linked to the health of their animals and the environment. It is nowhere more true than in the Horn of Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti) where many people’s livelihoods are highly, or in some cases entirely, dependent on livestock. Animals are culturally, socially and economically vital in the region. Livestock provide, for example, over 60% of agricultural GDP in the Horn. Livestock are also a source of human disease. Outbreaks of disease in animals thereby directly affect people’s health but also their wealth and nutrition.
Livestock production and human health and wellbeing in the Horn of Africa can be increased through research, leading to improved agricultural systems; more food and less malnutrition; more financial resilience; and better detection, diagnosis, prevention and control of disease.
One Health Regional Network for the Horn of Africa (HORN)
HORN is a multidisciplinary, international partnership of the following organisations: the University of Liverpool, and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom; University of Nairobi, and International Livestock Research Institute, Kenya; University of Addis Ababa, International Livestock Research Institute, Jimma University, and Mekelle University, Ethiopia; Red Sea University, Somalia; Amoud University and iGAD Sheikh Technical Veterinary School, Somaliland; Hamelmalo Agricultural College, Eritrea; and other national and international organisations and NGO’s.
THE HORN OF AFRICA
What HORN will do
HORN’s mission is to improve the health and wealth of the people of the Horn of Africa by developing a One Health Regional Network – a network of individuals and organisations across the Horn of Africa – that can undertake high quality research into the link between people’s health and wealth and that of livestock and the environment.
How HORN will do it
HORN will strengthen the ability of organisations to undertake research with a 5 step process:
- Undertake research capability assessments of partner institutions in the Horn of Africa to assess the current and target research capabilities, propose plans to reach the target, implement them and monitor progress.
- Provide training to non-research staff from these institutions, including leadership training, placements/shadowing in research support, and training in laboratory skills.
- Advance the knowledge and research skills of researchers from these institutions in generic, laboratory and subject-specific skills.
- Undertake basic and applied research in the area of One Health.
- Create the One Health Regional Network – HORN. The proposed partnership, training of non-research and research staff, and research placements with mobility between countries will develop a regional network.
Our Funders
The HORN project is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) from the Growing Research Capability call. The project was awarded £7.7 million to improve the health and wealth of people in the Horn of Africa by increasing local capacity to undertake ‘One Health’ research.
The GCRF call aims to build upon research knowledge in the UK, and to strengthen capacity overseas by addressing challenges informed by expressed need in the developing countries.