Description
The health of humans, animals (including domestic and wild), plants, and the wider environment are closely linked and interdependent. Wildlife is a reservoir of endemic and emerging infectious pathogens to humans. To prevent their spread and to support the control measures, disease surveillance is needed. Pathogens surveillance in the environment including in wildlife is a powerful tool for predicting animal-based outbreaks. However, the implementation of a wildlife surveillance system can be a challenge even in developed setting.
The study aimed to understand challenges likely to affect the performance of wildlife surveillance Côte d’Ivoire. We explore first, the capability of research for providing key data in the understanding of the relationship between human, wildlife and ecosystems; and second, the institutional mechanisms for health monitoring and the collaboration between human, animal, and environmental sectors.
We did a systematic literature review of studies conducting in Côte d’Ivoire on the wildlife subject. The documentary search targeted papers published between 2012 and 2022 which matches with the 10 years covering the period of Ebola crisis in west Africa and the COVID-19 crisis. The review followed the PRISMA recommendations and identified 486 papers then included 203 relevant papers, from “Google scholar” and “Pubmed”. Furthermore, We conducted semi-structure interviews with governmental agents from institutions in charge of health surveillance in Côte d’Ivoire including the departments of public health, animal resources, environment and water and forests.
The review showed a growing evolution of research carried out on wildlife with a predominance (67%) of conservation and biodiversity investigations. Health and zoonoses represented 22% and wildlife disease surveillance accounted for only 5% of health actions reported in research. Even some studies highlighted in their conclusions the importance of adopting the One Health approach, research remains sectoral in the implementation with less than 5% of health-focused studies using a One Heath methodological approach. Research was also characterized by a concentration in protected areas and limited to few animal species (notably primates) thereby excluding some key ecological aspects of risks linked to other wildlife reservoir of pathogens.
From the interviews, it emerged a disparity in the capacities for health surveillance between sectors with a non-existence of wildlife surveillance. In addition, there are significant gaps in collaboration between institutions, particularly in terms of information sharing. The environment sector carries out ecological monitoring essentially based on counting species and observing animal behavior with very limited human and logistical resources. Surveillance in animal sector focuses only domestic animals on farms and slaughterhouses while the Public Health conducts surveillance of endemic diseases and the management of health crises. There is a legal framework for an intersectoral coordination namely the national One Health Platform which is an opportunity to fill gaps in health initiatives implemented sectorally at the level of institutions, NGOs and research.
wildlife sector within the health surveillance is marginal in Côte d'Ivoire. However, this surveillance can be boosted with a combined actions of research health government mechanisms, within the national One Health Platform for better health prevention in relation to ecosystems including wildlife.
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