Iconz Magazine Issue #02

8/6/2019 Iconz Magazine Issue #02

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Beating the ‘Big Eight’ p3

Treasure we should share p4

How is ICONZ securing a lasting legacy?

Anna Walker-Okello p6

ICONZ Magazine catches up with AnnaWalker-Okello, ICONZ new Case StudyProject Manager based in Nairobi.

Our worldwide partnership p7

Winter 2010 Magazine

Issue 2



Dear Readers,

In this second edition o ICONZ Magazinewe look at how training, capacity building andtechnology trans er underpin ICONZ work.We have also taken a look at the case studyconcept to get an overview o who is doingwhat, where in the world.

Lastly, we caught up with Anna Walker-Okelloin Nairobi. Anna is the new ICONZ Case StudyManager, who will be visiting each workprogramme and helping us consolidate oure orts. She will acilitate the delivery o a ullyintegrated approach, which cuts acrossprogrammes and sectors. As we reach out tomarginalized populations, public engagementwith all stakeholders is essential or ensuringculturally appropriate measures are adopted intothe policy rameworks o all a ected countries.

The ICONZ partnership, driven by the hopeor a uture ree rom the ravages o these eightdiseases, is a constant source o inspiration.And we hope this inspiration has beenexpressed within these pages.

Kind regards

Sue WelburnICONZ Co-ordinator,University o Edinburgh

[email protected] www.iconzafrica.org

ICONZ has twenty-one partnersacross the world who have joined together to combat a group o diseases that move betweenanimals and humans. These

diseases are debilitating, ultimatelydeadly but o ten overlooked. Each

partner will contribute a part o the solution that will save lives and

secure livelihoods, by controlling zoonotic disease across the humanand animal populations.



1. NigeriaBrucellosis

The team at the National VeterinaryResearch Institute aims to determine thesocio-economic impact o brucellosis inFulani cattle herding communities. Thiswill involve understanding transmissionbetween humans and animals, takingsamples rom cattle, sheep and goats.The case study will culminate in a massvaccination programme to determine thecost-e ectiveness o diseases controlactivities targeted at livestock.

2. MaliAnthrax, Brucellosis, Bovine TB,Echinococcosis, Rabies,Leishmaniasis, Cystericosis

The Central Veterinary Laboratory isleading this complex case study on seveno the eight ICONZ diseases. The studylooks at seven districts, where conditionsare optimal or the application o targetedcontrol strategies e.g. those aimed at dogs

or leishmaniasis, ecinococossis andrabies. The objective is to bridge the gapsin epidemiological knowledge o thesezoonotic diseases and provide solutionsthat can have impact on a suite ozoonoses. Studies have been conductedon underreporting o disease and inestimating disease burdens in urbanand rural communities.

3. MoroccoTuberculosis, Brucellosis, Rabies,Leishmaniasis and Hydatidosis

The Moroccan case study led by theHassan II Agronomy and VeterinaryInstitute is looking at a suite o zoonoses inan area that houses around hal a millionpeople, mainly in rural communities in theprovince o Sidi Kacem.

Disease in cattle, sheep and dogs will alsobe tackled and epidemiological, sociologicaland economic studies have been underwaysince 2009. A control programme tailoredto the zoonoses a ecting this region willbe implemented in late 2011.

4. & 5. MozambiqueBovine Tuberculosis, Brucellosisand Cystericosis

Two case studies are being conductedin the Morrumbala and Guvuro districts,respectively, by a team at EduardoMondlane University. There is a traditionin both districts o slaughtering livestock,mainly pigs and sheep, to be eatenlocally. The lack o slaughter acilitiesand procedures has created avourableconditions or disease. Both studies aim toevaluate the burden o disease and its costto society. The Guvuro study is looking atbovine TB and brucellosis. The Morrumbalastudy will ocus speci cally on cystericosis,including an evaluation o how e ectivecurrent intervention strategies are.

6. TanzaniaBovine Tuberculosis and Brucellosis

The inter ace between livestock and wildli eis the ocus o this case study. The teamat Sokoine University o Agriculture acesthe challenge o sampling a host o wildli eincluding bu aloes. Working with a humanpopulation o livestock keepers who movearound in search o water and pasturepresents challenges. The data obtainedwill enable the ICONZ team to identi ygaps in current tools and methods ordisease control and tailor controlstrategies to ll these gaps.

7. UgandaZoonotic Trypanosomiasis

Trypanosomiasis and Human A ricanTrypanosomiasis – also know as SleepingSickness, transmitted by tsetse fies, is asigni cant problem in Uganda, as in otherA rican states. At Makerere University theICONZ team have set out to compare thee ectiveness o di erent control methodstargeted at preventing disease transmissionbetween the livestock reservoir o in ectionand people via the tsetse fy vector, whilestudying the side bene ts o mobile bait‘insecticide based approaches’ on tickborne diseases and other fy transmitted

in ections. The case team are examiningthese dynamics in over a hundred ruralvillages in Soroti and Tororo Districts.

8. ZambiaCystericosis

The University o Zambia team areinvestigating how suitable and e ectivethe Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS)approach is in controlling cystericosis in ruralpig-keeping communities. CLTS is a UNICEFsupported movement that aims to helpcommunities educate themselves to improvesanitation and eliminate open de ecation.

Anthrax, Bovine Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Cystericosis, Echinoccosis, Leishmaniasis,Rabies and Human A rican Trypanosomiasis, are the ‘Big Eight’ zoonotic diseases that ICONZaims to tackle. It all hinges on eight case studies, in which di erent agencies, vets, medics andresearchers will gather in ormation or use by policy makers. The in ormation will help governmentsand relevant organisations to design disease control programmes and raise awareness.

The eight case studies will helpanswer questions such as:

• What is the economic cost of the diseasesin individuals and their livestock?

• What are the risk factors and which communities are most at risk?

• Which diseases are under-reported and where?

• Are the current strategies and tools for thecontrol and prevention o disease e ective?

• Are the control and prevention strategies appropriate or the communities andagencies concerned?

Beating the ‘Big Eight’

ICONZ Magazine | Issue 2 3



An important legacy or ICONZ is that the students get trained and that they themselves developcapacity in the feld o

neglected diseases, sothat li e can continuea ter ICONZ. That waythere’ll be enoughmanpower or the utureand ICONZ could makea long lasting di erence.”

Christine Amongi Acup (ICONZ PhD Student, working in the casestudy region in Uganda, alongsidecolleagues from the Ministry of Health, Uganda).



Training and capacitybuilding are essential tothe success o ICONZ, notonly to secure maximumpotential or the case

studies, but also to ensurethat the bene ts o ICONZcontinue to be elt in thedecades to come.

Pro essor Maria Vang Johansen o theUniversity o Copenhagen leads WorkPackage 11, which is dedicated to“capacity building though technologytrans er and training”. Originally a vet,Maria has more than two decades oexperience working in Public Healthwith a ocus on A rica.

“We’ve been running under ICONZ or 18months now and the rst thing we set out todo was make an inventory o needs. So wesent a questionnaire around all our A ricanpartner institutions in 2009,” she explains.

“Everybody replied,” she continues. “So wegot a very good picture o who everyone is,what they are capable o doing and whatthey need in terms o capacity building.There was an urgent need or training, it was

PhDs, MScs, PhDs, MScs at all institutions.”Through the questionnaire it also becameclear which A rican partner institutions wouldbe willing and able to provide training underICONZ. One such institution is the Universityo Zambia, where Dr Chummy Sikasunge,originally a PhD student o Maria’s, is aLecturer and Researcher in the Schoolo Veterinary Studies.

“Our main area is in diagnostics – rapiddiagnostic tests and working on thediagnosis o these neglected diseases.We are able to o er that kind o training

as a school and we’re very experienced,”he explains.

“The most important thing is that thestudents get trained and that theythemselves develop capacity in the areaso neglected diseases, so that li e can

continue a ter ICONZ. That way there’ll beenough manpower or the uture and ICONZcould make a long lasting di erence.”

Dr Ignacio Moriyón o the Universidadde Navarra in Spain recently took partin brucellosis training. The course wasorganised by the School o VeterinaryStudies o the Universidade EduardoMondlane in Mozambique.

“We had theoretical sessions and wealso had lab and eld work,” he explains.“In the lab we ocused on diagnostic tests.We did serological tests and PCR or theidenti cation o the bacteria, which wassuccess ul. And we also worked a little bitwith animals, introducing the students to themethods o conjunctival vaccination againstbrucellosis and also o tuberculosis diagnosisusing the skin test. We had people romTanzania, Mali and also the vet students romMaputo. There were veterinarians rom thearea who came and also one person romthe local veterinary services.”

“For me it was the rst experience obrucellosis training in A rica,” he continues.“It was very rewarding and it gave me someideas about how to do it again. People romour ICONZ case study countries have veryspeci c needs. In act, as a result o thecourse I’ve been developing a kit or thediagnosis o brucellosis that is beingshipped to Mali and other countries.”

Ignacio’s kit involves an adaptation odiagnostic tests that were commonlyused or brucellosis in Europe and theUS some 20 years ago. The tests relymore on manpower than equipment butare just as accurate as modern versions.

“These tests are very use ul and can beadapted to the local conditions. I thinkour A rican partners are really happy withthem because they are practical and suitedto local conditions, or example they donot need sophisticated lab equipmentwhile at the same time the tests arevery good and robust.”

“In the diagnosis o brucellosis you have towork on two sides – serological diagnosisand bacteriological diagnosis. Bacteriologyis complicated and this bacterium is very,

very dangerous. In Europe the biologicalsa ety standards or these tests are veryhigh and we need sa ety hoods and a lot oexpensive equipment. That is not practicalin A rica. The kit is based on a combinationo bacteriological culture combined withDNA extraction and PCR, avoiding thedangerous step. Students tried it on thecourse and it worked rst time.”

Solid partnerships are the key to ensuringthat technology trans er, such as Ignacio’skit, is success ul. And partnership is alsoessential to training and capacity building.Maria Vang Johansen is quick toacknowledge that working in isolationwithout A rican partners can do moreharm than good.

“Some programmes come in with a lot ointernational donor money and they nd thebest people. These people are o ered aposition with ten times as much salary ando course they take it rather than staying inthe existing health system. This creates aparallel health structure. Beauti ul as theseprogrammes are in trying to help, thingscan be worsened tremendously by themand the existing health structures maysu er a lot.”

“As PhD students are always appointed bythe organisation in A rica there is a natural,strong partnership with ICONZ. We’ve alsoasked the Ministry o Health and NGOs invarious countries, which o their permanentsta would like to undergo training inresearch. So we’re not creating parallelpositions we’re working in partnership.”

“In my view, the more people we can trainthe better. It’s not air to allow healthpriorities to be driven by donors. Fair prioritysetting means listening to stakeholders ineach country. The stakeholders need to beable to take decisions at the right time.We can train scientists to be competentand take action and I think that’s a treasurethat we should share.”

How is ICONZ securing a lasting legacy?

The treasure we should share




We catch up with

Anna Walker-Okello, ICONZnew Case Study ProjectManager based in Nairobi.

What is your background?I am originally rom Tasmania, the smallisland at the bottom o Australia, howeveram currently living in Nairobi, Kenya.

Where/what did you study?In 2002 I graduated as a veterinarian romthe University o Melbourne, Australia. Sincethen I have worked in New Zealand in largeanimal practice, and also as a veterinaryprogramme advisor or NGOs throughoutA rica and Asia. At the same time I studied

or a Masters degree at the Centre orTropical Veterinary Medicine at the Royal(Dick) School o Veterinary Studies,University o Edinburgh. I am currently in thesecond year o my PhD, also at Edinburgh.

How did you wind up workingon ICONZ?I have been associated with ICONZ since2009, when I started my PhD looking at thepolicy aspects o zoonotic disease controland the easibility o the “One Health”concept in developing countries. One o theobjectives o ICONZ is to ormulate publichealth policy recommendations, based onevidence gathered throughout the ve-yearcourse o the project. In order to make such

recommendations, the actors and processeso current policy rameworks within ICONZcase-study countries must be understood.So it’s this type o policy research which

orms a large part o my PhD and is alsovaluable to ICONZ as a whole.

Tell us about your roleSince December 2010, I have been CaseStudy Project Manager, based in Nairobi.My closest colleagues are those sta andstudents on the ground throughout theseven A rican partner countries, and Ireport to the ICONZ co-ordination unit.

What’s your next big task?As soon as one thing nishes, anotherstarts, so I don’t really see anything as a“big” task, just many ongoing ones! I think iall the case study countries can be visited inthe next six months, whilst I simultaneously

nish the data collection or my PhD, thatwould be a big achievement both personallyand in terms o ICONZ moving orwards.

What inspires you most about ICONZ?I think the opportunity the EuropeanCommission has given to every one o usassociated with ICONZ is one o the most

exciting things. The potential or ICONZ togather evidence surrounding both humanand animal impact o endemic zoonoses,whilst simultaneously improving ourunderstanding o human attitudes towardstheir control, cannot be underestimated.Using evidence like this to raise the pro leo neglected zoonoses, both internationallyand within national public health programmes,provides a very real opportunity to improvethe lives o animals, the livelihoods o peoplewho depend upon them, and potentiallythe local and national economies in somany countries worldwide. I think it isthe responsibility o all o us in ICONZto work together and commit to the wideropportunities or change that have beenmade available through such a unique project.

Anna Walker-Okello, Case Study Project Manager.

Q & A



Our worldwide partnership

AVIA-GIS, Belgium

Institute or Tropical Medicine, Belgium

University o Copenhagen, Denmark

French Agency or Food, Environmental andOccupational Health, France

University Claude Bernard, Lyon, France

Friedrich Loe fer Institute, Federal ResearchInstitute or Animal Health, Germany

ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), Kenya

Central Veterinary Laboratory, Mali

Hassan II Institute or Agronomy

and Veterinary Sciences, Morocco

Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique

National Veterinary Research Institute, Nigeria

University o Minho, Portugal

SACEMA, Stellenbosch University, South A rica

University o Navarra, Spain

Karolinska Institute, Sweden

Swiss TPH (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute), Switzerland

Sokoine University o Agriculture, Tanzania

Makerere University, Uganda

University o Edinburgh, UK

University o Liverpool, UK

University o Zambia, Zambia


Photograph Stephanie Mauti



ICONZ Training Eventsand Workshops

Past Events

Joint ITM/ICONZ training Workshop on Prioritization oZoonoses through Burden and Cost Estimations, ollowedby the WP3 and WP9 inception workshop.Both hosted by ITM, Antwerp, Belgium,12-15th October 2009Co-sponsored by Belgian Government andThe Cooperation Programme o the European Union’s FP7

Workshop (WP7) To Improve and develop preventionand control strategies through integrated interventionpackages or neglected pig-associated parasitic zoonoses.Nairobi, Kenya, 20th October 2009

Workshop on Work packages 5 & 6WP5: Improve and develop control and prevention strategiesthrough integrated intervention packages or neglectedbacterial zoonoses.

WP6: Improve and develop control and prevention strategiesthrough integrated intervention packages or dog/smallruminant-associated neglected zoonoses.Hosted by IAV II Rabat, Morocco,17th-21st November 2009

Training Course on GIS and Spatial Epidemiology.Online Training hosted by AVIA-GIS, February-July 2010

Workshop (WP8), Integrated intervention packagesor neglected vector-borne zoonoses.

Hosted by Makerere University in Entebbe, Uganda,28th May 2010

Immunology in the Tropics – Diagnosis o ZoonoticCysticercosis, Brucellosis and Tuberculosis.Hosted by Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo,Mozambique, 16-27th o August 2010

PhD Introduction Course in Research Methodology.Organised by University o Copenhagen and hostedby Sokoeine University o AgricultureMorogoro, Tanzania, 24th January-4th February 2011

Upcoming Events or 2011

Qualitative research methodologies course.Organised jointly by the University o Zambia andICONZ WP10 and WP11. May 2 – 6, 2011. Hosted bythe Department o Para-clinical Studies, School o

Veterinary Medicine, University o Zambia, Lusaka

ICONZ Meetings

Past Meetings

Inaugural ICONZ stakeholder meeting.

Hosted by the University o Edinburgh, UK,13th-15th May 2009

ICONZ Management Board Meeting.O ces o DG Research, Brussels, 24th February 2009

ICONZ Annual Project Co-ordination Meeting.Hosted by University o Makerere, Entebbe, Uganda,25th-27th May

ICONZ Case Study Meeting and Open ManagementBoard Meeting.Hosted at WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland,Monday 22nd November 2010

Con erence on Neglected Zoonotic Diseases.WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland,23/24 November 2010Scientist Participation sponsored by WHO, ICONZ,D ID Research Into Use ProgrammeICONZ young investigator participation sponsoredby DG Relex

First International One Health CongressHuman Health, Animal Health, the Environment andGlobal Survival.Melbourne Convention Centre, Victoria, Australia14th-16th February 2011

including

One Health and the orgotten diseasesInvited Speaker: Alain VandersmissenScienti c Speakers: Alexandra Shaw & Sue Welburn15th February 2011European Commission Hosted Break ast

PhD Introduction Course in Research Methodology.Organised by University o Copenhagen and hostedby Sokoeine University o AgricultureMorogoro, Tanzania, 24th January-4th February 2011

Would you like to receive ICONZ Magazine by email or in printed form? Email your details to the ICONZ Secretariat, Division o Pathway Medicine, College o Medicineand Veterinary Medicine, The University o Edinburgh, Room DF427B, Chancellors Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, Scotland, United [email protected] For a ull list o partners and other in ormation, see our website www.iconzafrica.org Editor: Stephanie Brickman, Design: Tayburn, Photography: Sue Welburnunless otherwise stated.The University o Edinburgh co-ordinates the ICONZ project. No part o this publication may be reproduced without written permission.

Please do get in touch to tell us what you thought othe magazine and also with ideas or articles or utureeditions. You can email us at [email protected]

8 ICONZ Magazine | Issue 2

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