When science meets the needs of Veterinary Services: the EBO-SURSY project holds its first scientific symposium.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) through the EBO-SURSY Project, held a successful 3-day symposium from 9-11 October 2023, in Senegal, followed by a 2-day technical workshop. The two events, attended by 138 participants provided a forum for scientific and technical knowledge exchange, on emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases (ERZD) at the animal/human/ecosystem interface. For the first time, Veterinary Services, scientific partners and other stakeholders involved in the EBO-SURSY project were able to interact directly, discuss the scientific results of the project and their implication on animal disease surveillance and management strategies.

The EBO-SURSY project with support from the European Union was launched in early 2017 by WOAH to strengthen institutional capacities and using a “One Health” approach through education and training, contribute to raising public awareness of zoonosis-related issues, and reinforce zoonosis monitoring protocols through field surveys and improve diagnostic tests thanks to the collaboration of WOAH with Institut Pasteur, IRD and CIRAD

It was an opportunity for us to discover some of the scientific achievements in a world of eminent researchers, which will help many field workers such as epidemiologists and laboratory technicians to readjust their behavior before, during, and after investigations. I was also fascinated by the valuable presentations of the various research projects that young researchers had the honor of presenting

A focal point and participant in the symposium.

The symposium brought together a range of different stakeholders and showcased exciting research findings. Furthermore, it enabled scientists and especially PhD students to share their work through 58 presentations and 6 posters, learn from each other, develop collaborations, and provide a valuable opportunity for key players in the field of zoonotic diseases to network and discuss important issues, such as surveillance and prevention.

The publication of symposium abstracts in the journal Virologie will further contribute to the dissemination of valuable knowledge and insights gained from the EBO-SURSY Project to the international community.

The aforementioned technical workshop, which gathered 56 participants, provided opportunities for scientific partners to translate scientific results produced over the past six years into practical recommendations to support Veterinary Services in improving their national protocols of surveillance strategies. Through an interactive and participative approach, both WOAH focal points from the 10 countries targeted by the project were able to directly discuss the results presented during the symposium with senior scientists and elaborate priority actions to take upon once back home.

WOAH intends to use these lessons learned and recommendations to support wildlife disease surveillance and management.