Managing Indonesian health security with One Health
Health security threats remain a major concern around the world. COVID-19, Zika, Ebola, Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome and highly pathogenic avian influenza are just some examples of diseases that have emerged as health crises over the last decade. These diseases left the health systems and governments of the affected countries, and the international health community, scrambling to respond and mitigate the social and economic effects.
As recent outbreaks have shown, EIDs have the potential to exact a heavy economic and social toll on communities and countries, and regions where they take hold.
Over 75% percent of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are zoonoses, animal diseases that can be
transmitted to humans. The Australia Indonesia Health Security Partnership (AIHSP) is a One Health initiative that cuts across human health, animal health and wildlife. The partnership is working to increase national health security in Indonesia so that women, men and communities are less at risk and experience less impact from emerging infectious diseases (EID) and zoonoses of people and animals. Increased health security in Indonesia supports sustainable economic development and food security and contributes to Australian, regional and global health security..
The Government of Indonesia and WHO have worked together to identify gaps in Indonesia’s capacity to respond to the threat of EIDs. There is a critical need to train more Indonesians, across different sectors and at different levels of society, in the skills required to promote health security for all.
The Nossal Institute for Global Health has been contracted by Cardno Emerging Markets (Australia) on behalf of DFAT, to develop and deliver Foundations in Health Security in Indonesia. This course will be the first step in an AIHSP Program in Professional Development for Health Security in Indonesia.
The Nossal Institute is partnering with AIHSP to develop an integrated, multi-step program of Professional Development for Health Security (HS) in Indonesia. Experts across the institute are working closely with AIHSP to co-design the professional development program to support Indonesia in building and sustaining the human resources required to promote health security. The national program will build skills in multi-sectoral collaboration and applying systems strengthening approaches to health security and provide longer-term leadership in health security through the establishment of a community of practice.