NEOH AND COPE WORKSHOPS

NEOH AND COPE WORKSHOPS

From 29th June to 12th July 2025, two consecutive workshops were held at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Loeffler-Haus, situated on the Island of Riems, Germany. These workshops were convened within the framework of the joint project conducted by FLI with the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) in Nigeria, funded by the German Ministry of Health (BMG) and implemented under the Global Health Protection Programme (GHPP), in alignment with global efforts to strengthen One Health collaboration, especially in addressing viral zoonoses in endemic regions.

The workshops brought together interdisciplinary teams from Germany and Nigeria under two interconnected subcomponents of the German Global Health Protection Programme (GHPP):

• NEOH – Nigeria Engaging One Health
• COPE – Community-Based One Health Participatory and Empowerment Strategy

These initiatives are implemented through collaborative partnerships involving the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and the University of Ibadan.

The NEOH workshop focused on advancing understanding of viral zoonoses at the human-livestock-wildlife interface, a critical zone for emerging infectious diseases in West Africa. Key activities included:

• Thematic sessions led by international subject matter experts addressing each viral zoonotic disease.
• Student presentations summarizing field and laboratory findings under the project.

The presence of experts of these disciplines enriched the discourse, providing contextual insights and critique to sharpen ongoing analyses.

The second week was devoted to the COPE component, which centers on community-based One Health interventions for outbreak management, with a specific focus on Lassa Fever in endemic regions of Nigeria. Key components included:

• Sub-team presentations on results that were in their view, the most important findings.
• A World Café session, where participants rotated across stations dedicated to draft publications—each table functioning as a space for focused editorial feedback and collaborative refinement.
• An impulse talk by a seasoned scientific editor, addressing best practices for interdisciplinary publishing and strategies for maximizing policy impact.
• Final sessions were dedicated to refining manuscripts and mapping out a publication plan targeting high-impact global health Journals.

The workshops concluded with a symbolic musical performance that served both as a unifying gesture and as a creative expression of the One Health message. The theme, “One Health – One World”, was artistically rendered to underscore the interconnectedness of all life forms and the shared responsibility of humanity in confronting emerging and re-emerging diseases.

This artistic finale formed part of a broader risk communication strategy, aimed at translating complex health messages into culturally resonant formats that can reach wider audiences.