Published on World Veterinary Day, this blog post highlights the essential role of collaboration in safeguarding animal and human health. It explores how initiatives like PREZODE are setting new standards for global health solutions.
Preserving animal health, taking action to meet the challenges of veterinary public health and implementing the One Health concept all require one essential ingredient: teamwork.
PREZODE (Preventing Zoonotic Disease Emergence) is an innovative international initiative with the ambition to understand the risks of emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases, to develop and implement innovative methods to improve prevention, early detection, and resilience in order to ensure rapid response to the risks of emerging infectious diseases of animal origin.
As a PREZODE special envoy in the early years of its launch, I witnessed how the process of consultation and co-construction, as well as collective intelligence, make it possible to build operational projects adapted to the field and to move forward, for the benefit of global health.
Teamwork must take place at all levels: local, national, regional and global. It requires clear objectives, effective coordination and a shared sense of purpose. Trust, mutual respect, positivity, responsibility and solidarity are the foundations of any successful team. Ultimately, the success of the project depends on the motivation and the cohesion of the people behind it.
In line with the One Health spirit, it is also necessary to ensure that the team is multidisciplinary: veterinarians must collaborate with all stakeholders, from human health experts to environmental scientists.
Leadership plays a crucial role too. A good leader must certainly conduct the team but also support the team members in their personal development.
The collective must not overshadow the individuals who compose it.
Happy World Veterinary Day and mobilise your team spirit every day!
The Animal Echo aims to promote individual and collective understanding of animal health and welfare. We bring you insights and opinions from experts across the world. The opinions expressed in The Animal Echo are those of the author (s) and may not necessarily reflect WOAH’s official position.
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