SOHC at the Scenario Workshop on One Health Integration at the Community Level in Somalia

A workshop on One Health synergies in the provision of human, animal, and environmental health care at the community level in Somalia was organized by Tufts University and Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Suisse (VSF-Suisse) from April 26–28, 2023, in Mogadishu, Somalia. This workshop was funded by the Opportunities for One Health Integration of Community Animal Health and Community Health Workers Study, carried out by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University with financing from the USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance.

Prof. Dr. Abdalla Mohamed Ibrahim, scientist at the Somali One Health Centre (SOHC) and Vice-Rector for Research and Development at Abrar University (AU) was among the One Health experts who attended this workshop. Prof. Abdalla stated that “the workshop aligns with SOHC’s mission to improve the health of humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment in Somalia through excellence in One Health education, research, and outreach programs.” Additionally, it is in line with the conference recommendation (conference report) from our first Somali One Health Conference, which suggested incorporating the One Health perspective into community service, research, and education, Prof. Abdalla added.

Prof. Abdalla spoke during the discussion about the significance of including community environment workers in the integrated community service teams of animal and human health workers to incorporate the modern One Health concept. He also suggested that these teams be supported by a community One Health supervisor for the network’s technical backstopping.

At the end of the workshop, participants developed a scenario of One Health integration of community services in Somalia in a common network comprised of community health workers, community animal health workers, and community environment workers who are under the technical supervision of the Community One Health Supervisor to improve access, impact, and sustainability of One Health actions to support development and emergency relief in Somalia.

Effective One Health operationalization at the community level is crucial for an effective manner of controlling diseases in humans, animals, and plants, as well as the environmental hazards in Somalia and other parts of the world.