A one health approach to prioritizing emerging zoonotic diseases (EZDs) in northern Vietnam

Background: Vietnam, with its significant agricultural sector, large livestock population, rich biodiversity and close human-animal interactions, is highly vulnerable to zoonotic disease transmission. To better address this threat, representatives from the human, animal, and environmental health sectors in Vietnam worked together at two one health zoonotic disease prioritization (OHZDP) workshops to develop a list of priority zoonotic diseases for multisectoral one health collaboration in Hoa Binh and Lao Cai provinces in April 2024.

Methods: We modified the OHZDP process, developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and utilized it to prioritize zoonotic diseases in Vietnam. This involved conducting defining prioritization criteria, developing specific questions with assigned weights for each criterion, and organizing two workshops with stakeholders.

Result: There were 25 participants in Hoa Binh's workshop (7 females and 18 males), and 27 participants in Lao Cai's workshop (9 females and 18 males). Following a discussion of tool outputs among experts, four zoonotic diseases were prioritized in Lao Cai province: Rabies, avian influenza, Streptococcus suis, and leptospirosis. In Hoa Binh province, three diseases were identified as priorities: Rabies, avian influenza, and Streptococcus suis.

Conclusion: Rabies, avian influenza and Streptococcus suis were the three most prioritized diseases across the two provinces. This list can serve as a foundation for strengthening one health collaboration for disease prevention and control in these targeted provinces.