The Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa programme brought together natural and social scientists, including environmental, biological, social, political, and human and animal health researchers. It was an integrated multidisciplinary – or One Health – approach to understanding animal-to-human (zoonotic) disease transmission. A main objective was to generate evidence and advance understandings of the complex relationships between zoonoses, ecosystems and wellbeing to inform effective poverty and public health interventions.
There were five case studies:
- Henipavirus infection in Ghana
- Rift Valley fever in Kenya
- Lassa fever in Sierra Leone
- Trypanosomiasis in Zambia
- Trypanosomiasis in Zimbabwe
- Find out more about our case study diseases.
The key questions the study sought to explore were:
- What kinds of ecological changes (in for example biodiversity, vegetation and habitat, and water) are affecting possible animal-to-human disease spillover?
- What uses of ecosystems by different people bring them into contact with possible disease risk?
- How are these local dynamics affected by wider changes, such as those in climate, land use and urbanisation.
- How do different people and agencies understand and represent these dynamics and what are the implications for public health policy?
In this way, the Consortium sought to provide a much-needed evidence base and set of practical approaches to make a One Health agenda work in ways that also promote sustainable poverty reduction and social justice.
- See publications from the Drivers of Disesase team.
- Find more photos of our research in action on flickr
