The Ebonyi State government on Thursday inaugurated the state’s One Health Initiative as part of efforts to tackle Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and strengthen integration across the health system.
AMR, or Antimicrobial Resistance, is a major global health crisis in which microbes—including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites—evolve to resist medicines such as antibiotics and antivirals, making infections difficult or impossible to treat.
Gov. Francis Nwifuru, at the official inauguration in Abakaliki, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enhancing healthcare and promoting economic development.
The event was organized by Evidence-Informed Policy Approaches for One Health (OH-Health) in collaboration with the Friedrich-Loeffler Institute (FLI) and the African Institute for Health Policy and Health Systems Nigeria, with support from David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS).
Nwifuru described the One Health Initiative as a vital multisectoral approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health.
He highlighted rapid urbanization, high population density, deforestation, and increased human–animal interactions in Ebonyi as key factors driving the rise of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases.
“To address these challenges, there is a need to strengthen collaboration among the state’s ministries of health, agriculture, and environment, along with their agencies.
“There should be closer partnerships between government bodies and researchers in universities and tertiary institutions to ensure that research evidence informs policymaking,” Nwifuru said.
The Vice-Chancellor of DUFUHS, Prof. Jesse Uneke, described the event as “a remarkable day for Ebonyi State.”
He noted that the initiative would examine diseases transmitted across humans, animals, and the environment, with the aim of strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration.
“We hope that our discussions today will lead to actionable working documents that integrate the roles of the key ministries,” he said, emphasizing the importance of joint planning to detect, control, and prevent future outbreaks, whether pandemic or endemic.
Dr. Laxmikant Chavan, WHO Technical Officer on AMR and Coordinator of One Health in Nigeria, delivered a keynote address titled “Advancing One Health at Sub-National Level to Address AMR and Other Threats in Nigeria – Ebonyi State.”
Chavan stressed that the programme is critical to safeguarding human health. He identified major One Health threats, including zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, Lassa fever, and MERS, which account for about 60 per cent of emerging infectious diseases.
He also noted that more than 75 per cent of 30 new human pathogens identified in the last three decades originated from animals, including Ebola and COVID-19.
Chavan warned that without urgent action, AMR could result in 39 million deaths by 2050 and cost up to $412 billion annually, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and low-resource settings.
