Development cooperation and Disease Intelligence
The working group focuses on the topics Development Cooperation and disease intelligence. The importance of livestock for rural communities in low- and middle-income countries is often reflected in development cooperation efforts, supporting value chains related to livestock production. The working group provides advice and technical support for interventions targeting the livestock sector with a special emphasis on health and production and aiming for improved veterinary services in the target countries. The One Health concept, aiming for holistic approaches to health acknowledging the interaction between human health, animal health and environmental health, should be seen as a fundamental principle in all disciplines working in the field of infectiology. The working group assists in the planning and implementation of One Health activities at all levels from direct fieldwork to inter-institutional strategy development.
In addition, the group works on surveillance and early detection strategies for transboundary animal diseases and zoonoses. A particular focus is on populations often neglected in surveillance schemes such as animals in small scale and backyard production. This work goes along with monitoring and analysis of disease occurrence and applied control strategies. The latter is partly co-implemented with the Robert Kock-Institute as German public health institution as well as the Foreign Office.
The transfer of scientific evidence into policy advice for Germany and partner countries alike forms an integral part of the work on both topics.
