About the research
Zoonotic diseases continue to pose a significant threat to global health and necessitate collaboration between the human, animal and environmental health sectors. My research examined the implementation of the One Health approach within Ghana’s zoonotic disease surveillance and response system.
Through three interlinked studies conducted in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale, I investigated the current collaboration between professionals from the human, animal, and wildlife health sectors, the factors that facilitate or impede this collaboration, and the barriers that stakeholders deem to be the most significant for the future implementation of the One Health approach.
Why this research matters
Although One Health is widely endorsed internationally, translating it into routine practice remains difficult. Zoonotic disease surveillance and response is a critical test because preparedness for known and emerging threats hinges on sectors communicating and coordinating with each other before and during outbreaks. These findings are especially timely as Ghana formalizes its national One Health policy.
Key takeaways
- Collaboration exists, but needs to be institutionalized.
Currently, it is largely episodic, selective, and reactive, depending on personal networks. The task is to make collaboration routine, equitable, and sustainable. - The main implementation constraints are structural. Eight of the ten barriers that stakeholders identified are located in the broader policy, governance, and inter-organizational environment, which is beyond the control of any single organization. Clear mandates, coordination structures, and accountability are necessary in addition to funding.
- Workforce architecture shapes what collaboration is realistically possible. Severe staffing imbalances between sectors mean that coordination mechanisms must be designed based on actual operational capacity.
