Local communities and field specialists are essential for effective disease prevention, early detection and rapid response.
Positioned closest to the environment and interacting with animals on a daily basis, local communities and field specialists are often the first to notice unusual events: A source of data, they serve as the starting point in the surveillance chain, making them key actors in prevention efforts. Without their involvement, emerging diseases and environmental warnings cannot be detected in time, nor can effective responses be implemented.
Detecting the primary signs of a zoonosis
While expert-led active surveillance remains important, it is costly and time-consuming. It does not allow the detection of rare events, which are the primary signs of a zoonosis that could turn into a pandemic. Effective prevention requires real-time information sharing at all levels. Community members can provide critical information that can be relayed to laboratories, health authorities, and decision-makers.
PREZODE promotes a collaborative, win-win approach by providing communities with access to relevant information, such as data on food production and real-time updates on local sanitary situations, helping them regulate hunting and forest management.
Cross-referencing local data helps build a broader, more accurate picture of potential threats, enabling timely, coordinated action before local incidents escalate into global crises.
With the right technology in place, community-based surveillance is not only feasible but is also essential for a more responsive and inclusive global health system.