Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) contribution in detection and response to priority transboundary animal diseases and zoonoses in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone

Abstract

Veterinary services, including disease surveillance, animal healthcare delivery, were poorly structured in the Mano River countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) due to insufficient and inadequate qualified human resources, infrastructures, and motivation. To support the national veterinary services in their endeavors, FAO ECTAD, through the Global Health Security Agenda funded by the United States Agency for International Development, supported the training of Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) and their involvement in the animal diseases surveillance system and response in these countries. A total of 8,417 CAHWs (8 000 in Guinea, 228 in Liberia and 189 in Sierra Leone) were trained. The contents of the training in Liberia and Sierra Leone included veterinary health care delivery, while in Guinea the themes were focused on disease recognition and reporting. As results, CAHWs were able to report outbreaks of priority animal diseases including zoonoses in Liberia (n = 120) and Sierra Leone (n = 600). CAHWs also contributed to the vaccination campaign against Peste des Petits Ruminants, Newcastle Disease, and rabies in Sierra Leone. In Guinea, 1134 animal health events were notified with the collaboration of CAHWs from 2018 to 2020. Thus, CAHWs are contributing to improved surveillance in all the three countries. Governments and private sector should engage incentive conditions to sustain CAHWs work within the animal health system in the context of one health approach. Sustaining the important role of CAHWs to the animal health services requires the creation of a viable incentive mechanism supported by the Government and the private sector.