Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Many infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin. These pathogens may spillover into other species and cause disease. Zoonotic viral pathogens include influenza virus, Ebola virus, Zika virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The complex interactions between human and wildlife hosts and the virus warrants a One Health approach, whereby a multi-disciplinary lens is applied to address complex challenges. Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia underscores the need to apply a global lens to emerging pathogen surveillance/control. This virus has been circulating in Europe, Africa and Asia. Globally, there has been an inordinate amount of HPAI activity. Currently, there is no active surveillance program for avian influenza in countries such as Ghana, despite the importance of domestic poultry holders from economic and food security standpoints, and multiple outbreaks. These events constitute early warnings that merit immediate, coordinated attention, and provide a clear opportunity to enhance pandemic preparedness. Global biosecurity is highly dependent on early emerging pathogen detection and risk determination. Inter-jurisdictional collaboration is essential to human and animal health, food security and ecological resilience. We anticipate ongoing emergence of viral zoonoses over the coming decades. We propose to galvanize a multi-disciplinary team poised to respond to novel pathogen emergence using a One Health approach around the clear and present danger posed by HPAI. Our expertise spans scales of study (from molecular to populations), hosts (mammalian and avian) and jurisdictions (national, international). By applying unique skill sets in biocontainment, virology, field and clinical epidemiology and human and animal health, we will address capacity gaps in emerging pathogen detection and risk determination.