Experts push for stronger Zoonotic disease surveillance in Kenya
Kenya joined the globe in marking the World Zoonoses Day with experts raising concern over the limited capacity in the country for early detection and potentially rapid response of zoonotic diseases, which can help preempt pandemics.
This year’s World Zoonoses Day was observed on Sunday, under the theme “You Can’t Fight What You Can’t See.” The day which commemorates the historic milestone when Louis Pasteur gave the first rabies vaccine to a human in 1885, highlights the continued threat posed by Zoonotic, which continue to present significant challenges to global health.
Zoonoses, also referred to as Zoonotic diseases, are infections that can naturally be transmitted between animals and people.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 60% of all human infectious diseases originate from animals, and over 75% of new or emerging diseases will have an animal link.
WHO has classified some zoonotic diseases as neglected because they have complex transmission cycles and frequently affect under-resourced rural communities with poor diagnostics, limited treatment options, and weak surveillance systems.
This neglect creates a vicious cycle of limited data, low awareness, and inadequate action. Different kinds of pathogens cause zoonotic diseases for example, viruses cause rabies and Ebola, bacteria cause Salmonellosis and Brucellosis, parasites such as tapeworms cause hydatidosis, and fungi cause ringworm.
Speaking at a media workshop hosted by the Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (CEMA), scientists revealed that only 10% of counties in Kenya have functional community-based disease reporting systems a glaring vulnerability in the face of rising zoonotic threats.
“We are underestimating the danger. Diseases like anthrax, brucellosis, and rabies don’t wait for bureaucracy they spread fast, and we must respond faster,” said Dr. Samuel Kahariri, a PhD Fellow at CEMA and former national epidemiologist at the Directorate of Veterinary Services.
While emphasizing on need for a One Health approach even in surveillance, Dr. Kahariri stressed that it enables early detection and potentially rapid response, which can help in preempting pandemics.
“Why we emphasize the need for a One Health approach even in surveillance, it enables early detection and potentially rapid response, which can help us preempt pandemics.” He stressed.
The experts explained that Kenya has multiple data sources from human health post-mortem records to climate indicators noting that they are rarely analyzed together adding that surveillance systems work in silos with legal and technical barriers hampering real-time data exchange.
“Currently in Kenya, national surveillance systems operate in silos. Animal health, human health, and entomological surveillance systems run independently and often don’t benefit from each other. We said if deep prevention fails, we proceed to the stage of sick animals. At this point, we depend on the animal health surveillance system to detect disease early. Once detected, a joint response is triggered by all the relevant sectors.” The experts noted.
Adding that: “If there is no response, we risk the disease crossing over into the human population. Once humans are affected, we then depend on the human surveillance system under the Kenya Health Information System to detect it in time. If that too fails, we are on the path to an epidemic, and eventually, a potential pandemic. If detection does occur in time, then a response is initiated and losses are minimized. Clearly, if we do a good job at deep prevention, we can keep the human population safe. This is the foundation for our emphasis on integrated surveillance systems.”
Interventions
The experts recommended key targeted interventions to improve early warning systems which include: AI-powered e-surveillance platforms with geospatial mapping, deployment of rapid diagnostic tools in counties, strengthened coordination between Community Disease Reporters (CDRs) and Community Health Promoters (CHPs).
These as well as legal enforcement of zero-reporting for key zoonotic diseases which means that even “no cases” must be reported, and the incorporation of all the potential data sources within sectors.
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