Students in Kenya made it a point to take advantage of the COVID-19 semi-lockdown in the country to organize several knowledge exchange events in the form of Webinars. While the rest of the world was wondering what to do with themselves during lockdown, Kenyan students were filling in knowledge and information gaps on a variety of topics. These included;
- “Time for Nature, Celebrating Biodiversity” during World Environmental Day. The Moi University Students One Health Innovations Club (SOHIC) held a webinar in commemoration of World Environmental Day. The guest speakers explored the holistic approach to health bringing in the one health/ planetary health perspective. There were discussions around the role of the environment in transmission of diseases. The Dean, Moi University School of Public Health, Professor Mabel Nangami was also in attendance and discussed land use and environmental policies.
- On June 12th, two webinars were held to commemorate World Food Safety Day with attendees from all the three colleges. The guest speakers were from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Nutritionists and a Veterinarian. Discussions were around the different roles the government is playing through the different ministries in promotion of food safety and the major challenges faced, especially in the COVID-19 era. The roles of different stakeholders were also explored in line with the 2020 theme “Food Safety Everyone’s Business”. Other items of discussion were on animal welfare and tackling malnutrition through approaches that are holistic, i.e. One Health.
- The World Zoonosis Day was celebrated on July 6th and student presentations were made on One Health and zoonosis. Two alumni [Vet, Environmental Health Specialist] were invited to discuss their field experiences and how in their practice they have utilized the One Health approach knowledge they learnt as undergraduates.
The SOHICs also held avirtual outreach activity to Millennium Environmentalists on One Health. There was key focus on the ‘Role of Environment in Health’. The audience ranged from environmentalists, architects, engineers, biological conservationists among others and were not familiar with the practical applications of One Health or the term. Plans to have more outreach activities of this nature by the SOHICs in Kenya, are underway.
- WEBINAR ON ONE HEALTH APPROACH TO PANDEMICS: CASE OF COVID-19
The “One Health Approach to Pandemics” webinar, brought in expert mentors in One Health to speak to students from across diverse disciplines. Discussions were on the importance and justification of the One Health approach, citing COVID 19 as a wakeup call. The students in attendance (undergraduates and postgraduates) engaged in discussions on the challenges with segmented approaches and the need to relook One Health as a concept and its practical applications. There were also discussions on health systems and the need to re-examine the current frameworks through the One Health lens – especially in low resource settings where much emphasis should be on preventive practices.
One output of this activity was formation of student-driven multidisciplinary One Health groups (20) of 5 to 7 students from across different disciplines [Medicine, Vet, Environmental Health, Pharmacy, Nursing, Dentistry, Anthropology and Sociology]. The teams have been exploring different zoonotic diseases with support from mentors with field experience and expertise in One Health.
The Webinar featured two speakers; Dr. Gilbert Kirui and Dr. Richard Ayah
Dr. Gilbert Kirui discussed “One Health Approach and its Application in Pandemics- COVID 19”. He introduced the audience to the One Health concept, its focus on multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations and the value of promoting local, regional and global collaborations citing COVID-19 as a good example demonstrating the value of One Health. The One Health approach is continuously gaining significant importance, being formally adopted by many professional bodies including the CDC, WHO, AU among others. One Health is more than a concept; it is a way of thinking that promotes innovation and critical thinking. Some of the major drivers for the need of such an approach have been many infectious diseases, which have had a huge impact on man demonstrating the need to intervene before spillage of diseases from animals. He demonstrated the value of assessing sociocultural behaviors, which are also seen as primary drivers of disease. During this pandemic, there have been many studies investigating the virus behavior across species affected, impact of disease and exchange of knowledge across different professionals. Dr. Kirui also discussed the challenges with segmented approaches/ interventions and proposed areas of improvement.
Dr. Kirui is a Veterinarian with Interests in One Health approaches to management of Infectious diseases, population veterinary medicine, sustainable animal health and poverty alleviation in livestock-dependent communities. He is currently a Lecturer at Department of Animal Health & Production, Maasai Mara University and has been a part of teams coordinating training of current and future workforce on One Health approaches, development of curriculum for antimicrobial use and resistance as well as One Health approach to management of Infectious diseases among others.
Dr. Richard Ayah discussed “Health systems in light of COVID-19 and the OH approach.” He began by reiterating that Hippocrates (considered father of medicine) demonstrated a need for holistic thinking when dealing with patients. Through the years, the need to re-examine human health as part of a larger ecosystem health has continuously grown as many human diseases have had their origins in the environment/animals. The health systems approach is continuously becoming broader, tying the traditional WHO building blocks with environmental and ecological determinants to better influence health outcomes. He noted that the Kenyan population is continuously expanding and for every 3 years, the projected productivity should be 10 % higher to meet the health demands of the population. COVID-19 has shed light on some of the weaknesses of disintegrated health systems and demonstrated the need for strategic approaches to service delivery, information management and governance.
Dr. Ayah is a specialist in health planning and policy and is currently engaged in research focused on innovations in health, determinants of health and health systems and non-communicable diseases. He is a consult for the Kenya Ministry of Health, World Health Organization, UNICEF and UNFPA.
This webinar was organized by the University of Nairobi SOHIC in collaboration with Medical Students Association of Kenya, in partnership with Daktari Online.
You access the recording of this webinar here; Link to recording