This document summarizes the EcoZD project, which aims to build capacity for managing zoonotic diseases in Southeast Asia using an ecosystems approach. It describes the project's inception focusing on capacity building and risk assessment. Over time, the project adapted to emphasize a learning-by-doing approach through country-specific research on priority zoonoses. It also established EcoHealth Resource Centers at universities in Thailand and Indonesia to provide training, research, knowledge sharing and advocacy for an ecosystems approach to health.

1. Ecosystem approaches to the better management of
zoonotic emerging infectious diseases in Southeast Asia
(EcoZD)
Jeffrey Gilbert, ILRI
CIAT-in-Asia NAFRI, Vientiane
EcoEID Launch Workshop
Vientiane, Lao PDR, 12 March 2012

2. ILRI: Overview
• One of 15 international research centers of CGIAR (Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research)
• Individual Centres set up in 1960s (IRRI 1960, ILRAD 1973, ILCA
1974)
• CGIAR 1971: 19 northern Govts + IGO (FAO,WB,ADB …)
• ILRI founded 1994; headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya
• ILRI focus – livestock, livelihoods, IAR4D
• ILRI: organized in 4 research ‘themes’: markets, biotechnology,
people-livestock-environment, poverty-gender-impact
• CG reform & ‘CGIAR Research Programmes’

3. CG Reform
 To overcome the challenges and exploit the opportunities, the CGIAR has
undergone reform. A new Strategy and Results Framework (SRF) will, for
the first time, allow the CGIAR centers to function as a unified system,
working together to pursue shared goals
 The 7 CGIAR Research Programmes* (formerly ‘mega-programmes’)
 Vision: Reduce poverty and hunger, improve human health and nutrition, and
enhance ecosystem resilience through high-quality international agricultural
research, partnership and leadership.
 CRP-4: ‘Agriculture for Improved Health and Nutrition’
• This research program aims to accelerate progress in improving the
nutrition and health of poor people by exploiting and enhancing the
synergies between agriculture, nutrition, and health through four key
research components: value chains, biofortification, control of
agriculture-associated diseases, and integrated agriculture, nutrition, and
health development programs and policies. With IFPRI and ILRI as co-
Lead Centers, this program will also involve 10 other CGIAR Centers. It
has an initial 3-year budget of US$191.4 million.

4. Project Inception
 6 countries in SE Asia region;
 Cambodia, China (Yunnan), Laos, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Thailand
 Increase the knowledge, skills and capacity of research and
infectious disease control personnel in Southeast Asia to
understand the risks and impacts of Emerging Infectious
Diseases and how feasible options can best be implemented
and adapted;
 wide scope of specific objectives & outcomes – ‘ecohealth’
 At outcome level
 Better network and influencing skills (challenge dialogue)
 Better capacity in ‘frontline health workers’
 Better decision-making based on risk assessment/mitigation
 Bettter skills among teams in each country to assess EID risks – including
environmental & socio-economic drivers (scenario development)

5. Project Adaptation
 Increase the knowledge, skills and capacity of research and
infectious disease control personnel in Southeast Asia to
understand the risks and impacts of Emerging Infectious
Diseases and how feasible options can best be implemented
and adapted;
 Focus on‘Learning by Doing’ approach –
 Forming the country teams – extended period of planning &
finalising research proposals & contracts
 EcoZEID >> EcoZD
 2D capacity building EH/OH v intra-disciplinary
 Less focus on risk (driven by partners preferences)
 Less direct focus on ‘frontline health workers’
 Challenge Dialogue & Scenario Development
 Outcome Mapping chosen as M&E
 Need for local EcoHealth Resource within SE Asia
 EcoHealth Resource Centres CMU & UGM

6. Project Consolidation
 This will no-cost extension period from 1st March – for 18
months
 Central to all of EcoZD is ‘Learning by Doing’ approach
 Outputs anticipated by all 8 components
 Research
 Training
 Communications
 Synthesis of 8 components
 Resource Mobilisation

7. EcoZD: Components
Country Teams choices for research:
Cambodia: zoonotic risks for acute dysentery
China (Yunnan): Brucellosis (& Toxoplasmosis)
Indonesia: Rabies - Bali
Lao PDR: pig zoonoses (& non zoonoses)
Thai-Viet: hygiene in small-scale poultry
slaughterhouses
Viet Nam: zoonoses priority ranking
‘EcoHealth’ Resource Centres:
Chiang Mai University
University of Gadjah Mada

8. Cambodia
Partners:
•Centre for Livestock Development (CelAgrid, NGO)
•Department of Animal Health & Production
•Department of Communicable Disease Control
Research
•Review of public health data: diarrhoea reporting by SMS
•Choice of various low & high incidence areas (pilot sites)
•Household surveys: Questionnaires & PRA
•Longitudinal survey will follow selected households with
laboratory sampling
•Expected outputs – to ascertain proportion of acute dysentery
in rural households attributable

9. China – Yunnan province
Partners:
•Academy of Grassland & Animal Sciences
•Animal Science & Veterinary Institute
•Agriculture University
•Institute of Endemic Disease Control & Prevention
Research:
•Determine Brucellosis prevalence and priority in pilot
areas by compiling retrospective data, undertaking cross-
sectional surveys.
•Toxoplasmosis surveys

10. Indonesia
Partners:
•Centre for Veterinary & Analytical Studies (CIVAS)
•Disease Investigation Centre Denpasar
•Other experts
Research:
•Dog ecology: behaviour, demography , movement,
fecundity
•Socio-cultural relationship between people & dogs
•Community Engagement (dog registration, sterilisation)

11. Lao PDR
Partners:
•Department of Livestock Production, MAF
•Department of Hygiene & Prevention, MoH
•National Agriculture & Forestry Research Institute
Research:
•Prioritising pig diseases – both zoonoses & non-
zoonoses, by questionnaire and sampling 30 villages in
northern & southern provinces
•Focus Group Discussions to add to cross-sectional
survey
•Communications & feedback
•Building on earlier research by ACIAR, and indeed
followed by further ACIAR project

12. Thailand-Vietnam
Partners:
•Chiang Mai University, Veterinary Faculty
•Department of Livestock Development
•National Institute of Veterinary Research, Hanoi
•Sub-department of Animal Health, Hanoi
•(Originally China involved)
Research:
•Improving hygiene in small-scale poultry
slaughterhouses, beyond the upgrade hygiene produces
better quality of product - issues of sustainability, policy
implications
•Interview of slaughter-house owners, workers, market
traders etc

13. Vietnam
Partners:
•Pasteur Institute
•Nong Lam University
•Department of Animal Health
Research:
•Original focus priority ranking of zoonoses
•initial expert opinion for priorities
•determination of ‘hotspots’; cross-sectional to compare
hotspot & other areas, but limited data
•cross-sectional surveys in pilot areas to ascertain
community priorities, challenges on how to focus
•Focus now on leptospirosis

14. Challenges: What language are we talking?
Lingua franca
 Eg Latin America/ EcoSalud
 ‘Lost in translation’
Biomedical v Social Sciences
 Medics & Vets (clinical / laboratory / epidemiology)
 Quantitative v Qualitative (ranking, dual health burden)
 Researchers, Decision Makers, Communities
Novel approaches to holistic integrated approaches
 One Health
 One Medicine
 EcoHealth
 Inexact / broad interpretation v H5N1
Case studies & publications

15. Challenges: Resource & Scope
Human Resources
Supply & Demand
 Language
 Technical – including proposal writing/ methodology / analysis /paper-writing
 Market forces operating
Identifying Champions (including to implement & to mentor)
Level of counterparts (senior v junior)
Scope of EcoZD
‘Carte blanche’ v prescriptive
Learning by doing (& making mistakes!)
Priority zoonoses +/- EID
EcoHealth approach – new ‘paradigm’
Two-dimensional capacity-building requirement
Greek temple analogy
EHRC concept

16. ‘EcoHealth Resource Centres’
Partners:
•Chiang Mai University, Thailand
•Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Development
•Need for local capacity building
•Target audience of undergraduates/postgrads – more
open-minded(?)
•Need to engage senior academics
•Multiple disciplines (faculties) ‘under one roof’

17. ‘EcoHealth Resource Centres’
• Provision of relevant training for staff, students and
outside participants;
• Promotion of knowledge sharing and assimilation
through making available books and peer-reviewed
publications;
• Conducting multi/trans-disciplinary EcoHealth
research activities involving post-graduate students;
• Preparing publications – from desktop/retrospective
and prospective research; also position papers;
• Providing advocacy for EcoHealth – other universities,
government and communities.

18. International Livestock Research Institute
Better lives through livestock
Animal agriculture to reduce poverty, hunger and
environmental degradation in developing countries
www.ilri.org
e-mail: J.Gilbert@CGIAR.ORG