Epidemiologists, others advocate 'one-health' approach.

Epidemiologists, others advocate 'one-health' approach.Stakeholders identified one-health approach as the surest way to curtail public health challenges or diseases emergence in any country. Stakeholders at the Annual Scientific Conference of the Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (NFELTP) have advocated “one-health approach” to address emergence and re-emergence of public health diseases in the country. The stakeholders are the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Health and African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), among others. Mr Joshua Obasanya, Chairman, Local Organising Committee of the conference, identified one-health approach as the surest way to curtail public health challenges or diseases emergence in any country. Obasanya said the conference was aimed at bringing together all agencies and relevant workforce that could bridge the gap between emerging and re-emerging diseases that were of animal origin and posed public health challenge. He said that six out of 10 public health diseases emanated from animals. He, however, said the only way to nip this public health challenge in the bud was through the collaborative efforts of health officials, environmentalists, veterinarians and laboratory scientists, among others. more