Abstract
East Africa has one of the world’s fastest growing human populations—many of whom are dependent on livestock—as well as some of the world’s largest wildlife populations. Humans, livestock, and wildlife often interact closely, intimately linking human, animal, and environmental health. The concept of One Health captures this interconnectedness, including the social structures and beliefs driving interactions between species and their environments. East African policymakers and researchers are recognising and encouraging One Health research, with both groups increasingly playing a leading role in this subject area. One Health research requires interaction between scientists from different disciplines, such as the biological and social sciences and human and veterinary medicine. Different disciplines draw on norms, methodologies, and terminologies that have evolved within their respective institutions and that may be distinct from or in conflict with one another. These differences impact interdisciplinary research, both around theoretical and methodological approaches and during project operationalisation. We present experiential knowledge gained from numerous ongoing projects in northern Tanzania, including those dealing with bacterial zoonoses associated with febrile illness, foodborne disease, and anthrax. We use the examples to illustrate differences between and within social and biological sciences and between industrialised and traditional societies, for example, with regard to consenting procedures or the ethical treatment of animals. We describe challenges encountered in ethical approval processes, consenting procedures, and field and laboratory logistics and offer suggestions for improvement. While considerable investment of time in sensitisation, communication, and collaboration is needed to overcome interdisciplinary challenges inherent in One Health research, this can yield great rewards in paving the way for successful implementation of One Health projects. Furthermore, continued investment in African institutions and scientists will strengthen the role of East Africa as a world leader in One Health research.
Highlights
Eastern Africa has one of the highest predicted human population growth rates on the planet.[1]
While reviews of animal care and use in low- and middleincome country (LMIC) often emphasise the need for standards to meet those evolving in Western countries,[31] in this commentary we question whether and why decisions made in Western countries are given precedence as they may, in some cases, be inappropriate and ethically unacceptable to non-Western societies in Africa and elsewhere
In rural and peri-urban communities in African countries, which comprise a large proportion of the population, people live in close contact with livestock
Summary
Eastern Africa has one of the highest predicted human population growth rates on the planet.[1]. The growth of One Health publications has surpassed that of life science publications overall, suggesting an increased uptake of interdisciplinary approaches.[11] Even so, publication silos and differences in attitudes and best practices between and within biological and social sciences continue to exist. These differences impact interdisciplinary research, not just in terms of theoretical and methodological approaches, and with regard to the operationalisation of the projects through, for example, ethical approvals, consent procedures, laboratory requirements, and authorship of publications. We use case examples from current research projects to demonstrate research opportunities when such challenges are overcome and One Health research can be effectively implemented
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