Veterinary Public Health Institute

Current Projects

One Health and Citizen Science

One Health and Citizen Science Approaches for Contextualized Community-Led Interventions Tackling Water-Borne Parasitic Diseases in Chad

Contact Person: Salome Dürr, Dima Farra

Duration: Nov 2022 - Dec 2024

Vector-borne diseases are highly complex as they depend on biotic, abiotic and socio-cultural factors. Isolated interventions targeting exclusively children, a poor understanding of environmental factors and insufficient community involvement result in low acceptance of repeated interventions, and consequently in persisting infections and perceived non-effectiveness of treatment. An integrative approach is vital for effective and successful control. This project proposes two innovative concepts, One Health and Citizen Science in order to generate scientific data needed for the development of interventions and for engaging relevant communities. We will investigate the role of humans, animals and intermediate host snails in the epidemiology of schistosoma and fasciola, and Citizen Science networks to actively co-create contextualised intervention strategies targeting human, animal and environmental health.

The project is financed by The Swiss Network for International Studies. For more information: One Health and Citizen Science Approaches for Contextualised Community-Led Interventions Tackling Water-Borne Parasitic Diseases in Chad | Swiss Network for International Studies (snis.ch)