Animal Health Clubs in Sierra Leone

The objective of the One Health Model in Sierra Leone is to empower communities to take responsibility in protecting their health. There are only 77medical doctors to service its 6.2 million people and 5 administrative veterinary doctors based in the capital city and therefore cannot reach the 72% of rural population engaged in livestock husbandry. Exacerbating the problems further, is the absence of veterinary infrastructure which were burnt down during the civil war. Majority of the people cannot afford the cost of veterinary drugs or services, particularly for canine rabies, as Sierra Leone is ranked as one of the top ten (10) poorest countries in the world. Animal diseases are at a high risk of spreading among vulnerable populations who lack knowledge of controlling and preventing zoonotic diseases. Animal Health Clubs (AHC) was established in five (5) communities and five schools around Njala University, by the Animal Science Department as a One Health Model, in 2008. Trained members of the AHC visited homes in communities on weekends to monitor and record animal/human health and environmental issues. Using skit and drama, members sensitized communities on health, nutrition, wildlife, control of bushfire and disease control and prevention particularly canine rabies. Other activities included income generation through the provision of input support to farmers; 172 farm families benefited from 6 bags of groundnut, 937kg of seed rice, 30kg of local pepper seed, and 45,000 30cm long cassava cuttings all cultivated on 46hecters of land. Some of the proceeds from this livelihood venture were used to care for themselves and their animals. People have gained knowledge in dog care, treatment of dog bite, rabies control and prevention, and learnt good animal husbandry practices. Waste management and Bushfire is now better handled than before. There are now community structures to report disease outbreak to the animal health club office in the university. Lack of resources to buy rabies vaccine and other essential drugs to treat animals and humans, limited funds to scale up the best practices of the model in other parts of Sierra Leone are the challenges to overcome. The one health model has the capacity to promote improved environmental sanitation, water and waste management, provide strong sensitization on the link between animal and human health, and foster peace through the building of community cohesion. It is therefore recommended that this model be used in developing countries where there are limited health facilities for humans and animals.