One Health Priorities: Advancing Veterinary Public Health in Latin America and the Caribbean
Felipe Rocha,
Alessandra Cristiane Sibim,
Baldomero Molina-Flores,
Wagner Antonio Chiba de Castro,
Louise Bach Kmetiuk,
Renato Vieira Alves,
André Luis de Sousa dos Santos,
Margarita Corrales Moreno,
Álvaro A. Faccini-Martínez,
Natalia Margarita Cediel,
Alexander Welker Biondo,
Ottorino Cosivi,
Marco Antonio Natal Vigilato
Affiliations
Felipe Rocha
Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA/VPH), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Rio de Janeiro 25045-002, RJ, Brazil
Alessandra Cristiane Sibim
Latin-American Institute of Technology, Infrastructure and Territory, Federal University for Latin American Integration (UNILA), Foz do Iguaçu 85870-650, PR, Brazil
Baldomero Molina-Flores
Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA/VPH), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Rio de Janeiro 25045-002, RJ, Brazil
Wagner Antonio Chiba de Castro
Latin-American Institute of Life and Nature Sciences, Federal University for Latin American Integration, Foz do Iguaçu 85870-650, PR, Brazil
Louise Bach Kmetiuk
Zoonosis Surveillance Unit, Curitiba 81265-320, PR, Brazil
Renato Vieira Alves
Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA/VPH), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Rio de Janeiro 25045-002, RJ, Brazil
André Luis de Sousa dos Santos
Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA/VPH), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Rio de Janeiro 25045-002, RJ, Brazil
Margarita Corrales Moreno
Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA/VPH), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Rio de Janeiro 25045-002, RJ, Brazil
Álvaro A. Faccini-Martínez
Servicio de Infectología, Hospital Militar Central, Facultad de Medicina, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
Natalia Margarita Cediel
School of Agricultural Sciences, De La Salle University, Bogotá 11001, Colombia
Alexander Welker Biondo
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 80035-050, PR, Brazil
Ottorino Cosivi
Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA/VPH), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Rio de Janeiro 25045-002, RJ, Brazil
Marco Antonio Natal Vigilato
Pan American Center for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA/VPH), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Rio de Janeiro 25045-002, RJ, Brazil
One Health (OH) is an integrative approach to human, animal, and environmental health and can be used as a comprehensive indicator for comparative purposes. Although an OH index has been proposed for comparing cities, states, and countries, to date, no practical study has compared countries using this approach. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess OH initiatives using a survey with a veterinary public health focus. The questionnaire contained 104 quantitative questions and was sent to representatives of governmental institutions of 32 countries in the Americas. After exclusion criteria were considered, a total of 35 questionnaires from 17 countries were analyzed, with country names remaining undisclosed during the statistical analyses to protect potentially sensitive information. Principal component analysis (PCA) of health parameters in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as a function of country perception (self-vector) showed that food safety was ranked higher than public policies (p = 0.009), and that both (p = 0.003) were ranked higher than institutional routines related to zoonosis programs. National policies in accordance with international standards, regulations, recommendations, and guidelines was considered the standout topic for public policy, with higher-ranking topics including standard. Meanwhile, challenging topics included tools, preparedness, governance, and research. Food safety showed both strengths and challenges in the coordination of its activities with other sectors. Food safety communication was scored as a strength, while foodborne diseases prevention was ranked as a challenge. Institutional routines for zoonosis maintained both strong and challenging topics in the execution and implementation of attributions and daily routine. Thus, the survey showed that topics such as access to and compliance with international guidelines and intercountry integration were ranked higher than in-country articulation, particularly among food safety, zoonoses, and environmental institutions.
