One Health evaluation of brucellosis control in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Brucellosis is one of the main livestock disease risks in Kazakhstan. It’s been endemic there since 1930, accounting for over 1300 human cases per annum. The economic loss was 45 million USD in 2015 alone. Since 1952, Kazakhstan has implemented various control strategies with little success. One Health approaches have been suggested to tackle brucellosis, however, there is a lack of evidence for best practices to operationalise One Health in the literature, and methods for implementation are not established. The intention of this study was to introduce the One Health approach during the evaluation phase of the policy cycle. A two-day workshop was organized by the authors to familiarize participants with the evaluation methodology. Twenty-one specialists representing veterinary and public health sector, together with researchers, took part in this study. For two weeks following the workshop, first author conducted individual interviews with workshop participants to obtain individual scorings to assess knowledge integration capacity (One Health-ness). The evaluation results show that there is a lack of knowledge about the perceived damage caused by brucellosis to animal owners and other stakeholders. There is insufficient data available about farmers’ practices, interests and motivations, and also data is missing for important transmission processes such as the amount of unsafe dairy consumption. The absence of such data illustrates the extent of the uncertainty to which decision-makers are exposed despite well-elaborated transmission models and supports the importance of co-producing solutions with participatory methods. The results suggest the need for broader involvement of stakeholders. Outputs of this study could help navigate the initial stages of One Health operationalization.

The Socio-Economic Impact of Brucellosis Outbreaks among Large and Small Ruminant under Extensive Nomadic Management System in Sierra Leone

“…The One Health strategy plays a crucial role in the control and prevention of Brucellosis in both animals and public health. The One Health approach recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health and promotes collaboration between multiple sectors to address health issues comprehensively [18]. The One Health strategy contributes to the control and prevention of Brucellosis through several key measures:…”

“…• Integrated control measures: The One Health approach promotes integrated control measures that encompass both animal and human health [18]. This includes implementing vaccination programs for livestock, wildlife, and pets to prevent the spread of Brucellosis.…”

“…This includes developing improved diagnostic tools, vaccines, and treatment options for animals and humans. Research efforts focus on understanding the epidemiology of the disease, identifying risk factors, and evaluating the effectiveness of control strategies [18].…”

Brucella abortus in Kazakhstan, population structure and comparison with worldwide genetic diversity

“…More than 1,300 cases of human brucellosis are registered annually corresponding to an incidence of 7.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. Seropositivity to Brucella antigens in cattle and small cattle is 0.6% and 0.4%, respectively ( Charypkhan and Ruegg, 2022 ).…”