ICONZ: Integrated Control of Neglected Zoonosis
This project aims to Improve Human Health and Animal Production in developing countries through Integrated Control of Neglected Zoonoses in animals, based on Scientific Innovation and Public Engagement
Neglected Zoonotic Diseases
ICONZ (Integrated Control of Neglected Zoonosis) works on eight neglected zoonoses - Anthrax, Bovine Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Cysticercosis, Echinococcosis, Leishmaniasis, Rabies and Human African Trypanosomiasis.
Quantitative and qualitative research has taken place in seven International Partner Co-operation Countries (ICPCs) across Africa; Morocco, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.
Through these field-based case studies, improved control and awareness of neglected zoonotic disease at both community and national/regional policy levels has been achieved.
How is ICONZ Different?
What makes ICONZ unique is its interdisciplinary structure - involving vets, medical doctors, basic scientists, epidemiologists and social scientists (to name but a few).
ICONZ is divided up into 12 ‘work-packages’ (areas of expertise) who collaborate together to tackle zoonotic diseases in 8 case study areas (locations in Africa).
The ‘I’ in ICONZ stands for ‘integrated’ - a common sense approach; joined up thinking. Experts work together to find the best means of fighting these diseases, and to ensure that any interventions are culturally appropriate and economically costed, ready for adoption into the policy frameworks of affected countries.
Project Objectives
- To map global research into neglected zoonoses
- To obtain knowledge and information on the neglected zoonoses in terms of disease, epidemiology and burdens
- To improve and develop control tools for the neglected zoonoses by identifying gaps and investing in the development of new tools needed to effectively control these diseases
- To improve and develop integrated control and prevention strategies promoting the concept of ‘one health’. This involves dealing with health problems in people, their livestock and other domestic and wild animals they depend on for their livelihoods through the development of integrated ‘intervention packages
- To promote intersectoral collaboration in the control of neglected zoonoses
- To empower women in decision making related to control of neglected zoonoses in livestock through messaging cognisant of traditional knowledge and appropriate to the economic, sociological and cultural contexts of affected communities
- To transfer technologies and build capacity in developing countries to control neglected zoonoses
- To ensure maximum benefit from the project by a pro-active programme of dissemination aimed at all relevant stakeholders especially by raising the profile of the neglected zoonotic diseases both internationally and within affected countries.
Partners
ICONZ is coordinated by the University of Edinburgh and involves 21 partner institutions located across Africa and Europe:
| University of Edinburgh, UK (Project coordinator) | Institute for Tropical Medicine, Belgium |
| University of Copenhagen, Denmark | ANSES, France |
| Claude Bernard University Lyon, France | Friedrich Loeffler Institute - Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Germany |
| University of Minho, Portugal | University of Navarra, Spain |
| Karolinska Institutet, Sweden | Swiss TPH, Switzerland |
| University of Liverpool, UK | Central Veterinary Laboratory, Mali |
| Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Institute, Morocco | Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique |
| National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria | Makerere University, Uganda |
| SACEMA, Stellenbosch University, South Africa | Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania |
| University of Zambia, Zambia | AVIA-GIS, Belgium |
| International Livestock Research Institute, International Organisation |
Co-ordinator
This project is under the direction of Sue Welburn, Professor of Medical and Veterinary Molecular Epidemiology in the School of Biomedical Sciences’ Centre for Infectious Diseases.
It’s within our power as a global community, to intervene to help to improve the livelihoods and quality of life of millions of people. Put simply, if you want to combat poverty, what greater gift to give communities than their health?
Funding
ICONZ received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 221948.
Partner Projects
ICONZ has been run in close association with two other EC Framework 7 programmes - ADVANZ (Advocacy for Neglected Zoonotic Diseases) and OH-NEXTGEN (Training of the One Health Next Scientific Generation in the Sahel and Maghreb)