EcoHealth manual

Feeding the growing population, while promoting better health, environment and sustainable livelihood opportunities is a global challenge that we all share. EcoHelath is an approach that addresses some of these challenges by assuring better health for people, animals and environment. The IDRC supported program EcoZEID (Ecosystem Approaches to Better Management of Zoonotic Emerging Infectious Diseases) is being implemented by International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) since 2009, in five countries in South East Asia. The project worked with a large number of regional stakeholders to capacitate them in understanding and incorporating/ practicing EcoHealth. Two EcoHealth resource centres have been setup at leading universities in Indonesia (Gadjah Mada University) and Thailand (Chiang Mai University) as part of the project. This manual was prepared as a resource for teaching EcoHealth concepts to university students from diverse disciplines. It is intended to introduce examples of important aspects of EcoHealth, providing real world examples of each aspect and suggesting how the EcoHealth approach to research can be applied to improve the quality of human health, animal health and the environment. The EcoHealth approach involves interdisciplinary efforts: experts from various academic fields working as a team, learning to speak each other’s language, with the strengths of each discipline actively supporting each other. Moreover EcoHealth encourages researches to consider the broadest context when looking at concrete problems. That transdisciplinary approach can be employed by users of this manual. Individuals with a strong academic background in one area, e.g., the social sciences, can provide help to others who have had less experience in that discipline. By building an understanding of the concepts and research methods used by other fields, students can cooperatively develop their capacity to effectively apply the EcoHealth approach as members of interdisciplinary research teams

Understanding food safety awareness and practices along smallholder pig value chains in Vietnam using participatory approaches

Pig production plays an important role in both food supply and economic development in Vietnam. We assessed the food safety awareness and practice of involved key actors along the smallholder pig value chains in Hung Yen, Vietnam using participatory approaches. Data collection included quantitative (checklists, questionnaires) and qualitative (in-depth interviews and focus group discussions-FGD) tools and was done in three districts of Hung Yen. All survey tools were developed and pre-tested. Checklists (n=22) and questionnaires (n=12) followed random sampling procedures. The respondents for in-depth interviews (n=24) were randomly selected, while the participants for FGDs (n=5) were recruited by convenience. Data collection was done between January and June, 2013. Descriptive statistic was used for quantitative data, while content analysis was used for qualitative data. The outline for data collection for included groups and stakeholders (slaughterhouse workers, pork sellers, veterinary and public health staff, people living around slaughterhouses, pork consumers) was structured around food safety, diseases and health risks. Differences in what some groups found important or unsafe, based on their occupational priorities or labour focus were identified by using ranking tables and analysed accordingly. Analyses show that for slaughterhouse workers and pork sellers the food safety risks were highest and linked to lack of training, or relying only on “learning by doing” an experience provided by other workers or sellers. People living around slaughterhouses expressed concerns about health effects but also pointed out the advantages of their proximity to slaughterhouses, such as job opportunities and easy access to fresh pork. Pork consumer groups were more concerned about sensorial criteria (e.g. freshly looking, bright red colour) and expressed also some awareness on pork quality. Veterinary and public health staff emphasised the gap between existing legislation and food safety practices. Findings provide information on food safety awareness and practices along various actors and stakeholders. There is a need for improved standards, targeted training and collaborative mechanisms between veterinary and public health authorities to better manage the food production chain

Quantifying salmonella contamination in pig slautherhouses in Hung Yen, Vietnam

The risk of Salmonella contamination along the pork production is a worldwide concern. Not only the biological contamination, but also personal perception and individual behavior play a role for risk assessment along a chain. This study is to identify the prevalence and number of Salmonella in 3 pig slaughterhouses in relation to several risk factors. During January to April 2013, a total of 87 samples (carcasses, workers' hands, cutting board and belly skin material) were collected from 4 visits to each slaughterhouse. A 3-tube Most Probable Number (MPN) was applied to quantify the number of Salmonella from carcass, workers' hands, cutting board and belly skin samples (35 samples). The result showed that Salmonella prevalence was 36.9% (26.7-47.8%), mostly found on worker's hands (50%) and the lowest from cutting board (33.3%). The highest number of Salmonella on carcass and cutting boards was less than 0.075 MPN/cm2 and 1.2 MPN/cm2, respectively. Potential riskfactors were tested however they were not statistical significant. This study underlines the necessity of good hygiene practices and management in slaughterhouses. In terms of food safety, further risk assessment of Salmonella in pork production chains is needed