One Health Afghanistan: Characterization of Zoonoses Conference

A conference titled “One Health Afghanistan: Characterization of Zoonoses” was held at Resolute Support, Kabul, Afghanistan on July 27 - 28, 2015. Supported by Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S.  Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP), which both provide ongoing support for training and biosecurity safety issues for the Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), this conference was created to provide a venue for stakeholders in the animal and public health sectors to discuss, describe, and raise awareness of the impact that zoonoses have on communities, provinces, and the country. Speakers were selected based on expertise and knowledge of a given disease or disease situation. The two day conference consisted of panel discussions and poster presentations targeting priority zoonosis: brucellosis, rabies, Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, and influenza. The panels were arranged such that both public and animal health experts had the opportunity to discuss the disease situation in Afghanistan with emphasis on recent outbreaks, disease distributions, reservoirs, and methods of transmission. In addition, experts were asked to provide a summary of diagnostic tests, control strategies employed, and outreach programs currently available in Afghanistan. Each panel closed with a discussion on communication efforts between public and animal health.