This year’s outbreak of monkeypox — as the world still grapples with health and socioeconomic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic — highlights the continued need to strengthen the preparedness and response capabilities of countries to deal with zoonotic diseases, participants agreed at an event on the margins of the 66th IAEA General Conference taking place in Vienna this week. Zoonotic diseases refer to bacteria, parasites, fungi or viruses that originate in animals and can be transmitted to humans.
At the event, titled Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC): Current Status and Future Direction, representatives of IAEA Member States and Agency experts highlighted the actions undertaken through the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) initiative, launched by the IAEA in 2020. They presented the progress made over the past two years and how ZODIAC is supporting countries to be better prepared to detect, identify and fight, as early as possible, the ongoing and potential upcoming outbreaks of emerging or re-emerging zoonotic diseases.
Preparing labs for action
The IAEA has upscaled its support to countries under ZODIAC: since its launch over 1000 people from 95 countries have been trained in improving laboratory testing procedures by aligning them with those of global veterinary diagnostic reference laboratories through virtual interregional training courses. Participants heard that the new ZODIAC Portal, a public web site launched this year that offers educational videos, training material and videos, currently attracts over 1000 visitors every month.
“ZODIAC gathers all our technical expertise and experience in responding to zoonotic diseases,” said Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. “Through training in the latest nuclear and related techniques, we are strengthening laboratories worldwide to be able to identify potential animal viruses and act before they cause human diseases.”
The ZODIAC network comprises 126 National Laboratories officially designated by their respective countries and 149 ZODIAC National Coordinators from all regions of the world. These laboratories actively engage in virtual training workshops, meetings and briefings, and have access to educational material. Nearly 40 laboratories are at various stages of receiving molecular diagnostic, serology or whole-genome sequencing packages from the IAEA to increase national capacities for the identification, monitoring, tracing and early detection of zoonotic pathogens that cause diseases such as COVID-19 and monkeypox, and thereby help control their spread. Laboratory staff will also be able to engage in research to understand why diseases become endemic.
