On November 7-10, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) kicked off two events this week: a One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization Workshop (OHZDP) and a Round Table on Development of a One Health Policy Framework for Uzbekistan. Representatives from the Uzbek Ministry of Health, Emergency Situations, State Veterinary and Nature Protection Committees are participating in these events.
“One Health” is CDC’s signature policy. It takes a holistic approach to health policy and planning, acknowledging the links between human, plant, and animal health. Taking a One Health approach is important because six out of every ten infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals.
Both events represent the culmination of months of planning between the CDC and its Uzbek partners, including the Ministries of Health and Emergency Situations, the State Veterinary Committee, and the State Committee for Ecology and Nature Protection.
“The OHZDP Workshop is only the seventh in the world ever conducted. It represents a chance for Uzbekistan to definitively and objectively rank the diseases of highest concern in the country, using a tool CDC designed especially for this purpose,” the U.S. Embassy Officer Holly Miles noted in her remarks.
The One Health Round Table is the third in a series of round tables, the first in November of last year and the second earlier this year in June. This third and final round table will conclude discussions on a One Health organizational framework and five-year strategic plan.
CDC (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is the U.S. leading national public health institute headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its main goal is to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the U.S. and internationally.