Tanzania has been commended for its progress in adopting a One Health approach, which mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines, and communities to tackle complex health challenges sustainably. Tanzania is ahead of other African countries in implementing the One Health approach, which aims to balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.
Progress Monitoring Tool for One Health Approach
A three-day One Health Country Profiling Workshop was held in Dar es Salaam by the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Disease Control (ECTAD), a unit of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The workshop presented a revised One Health Monitoring Tool (OHMT) that identifies institutionalization and operationalization gaps in the One Health approach and the progress made so far. The tool will enable monitoring of progress in implementing the One Health approach and ensure sustainability beyond project-related interventions.
Collaboration between Sectors to Tackle Zoonotic Diseases
The Senior Officer of the Disasters Management Unit under the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Salum Manyata, opened the workshop by highlighting the need for collaboration between sectors to tackle complex health challenges. He noted that 60% of diseases are obtained from domestic and wild animals. This is due to the increasing encroachment of wild animal habitats by human activities.
FAO Representative to Tanzania, Dr. Nyabenyi Tipo, emphasized the importance of the One Health approach, as human and nature interactions increase, leading to the spread of zoonotic diseases. With the world’s population set to rise to 9.8 billion by 2050, more people are moving into new environments and living in close contact with animals.
Tanzania’s progress in adopting the One Health approach prioritizes collaboration between sectors, disciplines, and communities to tackle complex health challenges sustainably. With the revised One Health Monitoring Tool, the country can monitor progress in implementing the approach and ensure its sustainability beyond project-related interventions.
