Context

The past decades have witnessed an increase of infectious epidemics due to the disruption of the human-animal-environment interface, globalisation of movements, climate change, multiplication of industrial farms with high animal density and rapid urbanization close to wildlife that offer new opportunities for the emergence and spread of diseases.

This is particularly true for vector-borne pathogens that are transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks. Dengue, Zika, Yellow Fever, West Nile and Rift Valley Fever and Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever are only few of the emerging and re-emerging vector-borne diseases (VBDs) that hit our societies in the last decades and their prevalence and distribution is changing due to global and climate changes.

This new project is a follow up of two successive MediLabSecure projects (I and II) already implemented by the Institut Pasteur, first in the countries of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, then extended to five countries of the Sahel for the second phase as for this third phase.

Overall objective

To enhance preparedness and response capacities mainly to vector-borne diseases by promoting a One Health approach.

Specific objectives

1. To strengthen a network of laboratories and health institutions to prevent vector-borne diseases in countries around the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Sahel regions;
2. To further reinforce the multisectoral collaboration to enable an effective coordination between all national sectors involved in prevention and preparedness activities

Activities

1. Promoting the added value to implement One Health response plans and integrated surveillance, risk assessment and early warning at national and regional levels to prevent and control epidemics;
2. Capitalizing on the MediLabSecure network active since 2014 to provide capacity building and networking activities.

Achievements

• Implementation of a 5-day workshop on metagenomics by the Emergency Cell for Biological Intervention (CIBU) from Institut Pasteur, specifically designed for 12 researchers in human and animal virology;
• Organisation of a webinar on “Community-Based Interventions to Control Vector-Borne Diseases", held by MediLabSecure’s medical entomology and public health experts, to present the importance of mobilizing communities to enhance vector-borne disease control;
• Organisation of a webinar on "Metagenomic Technologies" to present a general overview of metagenomic technologies and their applications in the field of emerging diseases, which was attended by 97 participants from the 22 participating countries;
• Organisation of a week-long training on testing procedures for monitoring and managing insecticide resistance which included the participation of 15 professionals from the Balkans, Middle East, and North Africa;
• Organisation of a 4-day training on molecular diagnosis of crimean congo hemorrhagic fever virus.