GRF 2nd One Health Summit 2013: Presentation by Nicole Fassina, WSPA

1. World Society for the Protection of Animals
The challenges of urbanisation:
The need for integration in
community resilience to
disasters and disease

2. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Presentation overview
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Context and vision
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Animals in an urban setting
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Focus on disaster management
Focus on disease management
“One Health” in action

3. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Animals and the
role they play
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Livestock and companion
animals play a critical part in
people’s lives
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Essential in health, livelihoods,
food security, poverty reduction
and overall resilience
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Welfare overlooked or not
included despite the
significance/role of animals
being increasingly recognised

4. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Our vision
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Animals and the people who
depend on them are protected
from disasters, including
significant health burdens
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The needless killing of
companion animals ends and, in
turn, people’s lives are saved
through humane rabies
elimination programmes
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Possible through the integration
of animal welfare practices into
urban planning and management

5. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Animals in
urban disasters
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Addressing community needs
on major health-related issues
Productive asset loss plays a
role within multiple livelihood
strategies
Adaptation from rural to urban
and integration into urban
economy
Coordinated response is even
more important in cities with
critical interdependencies

6. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Animals in urban
Disaster Management
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Animals are part of the big
picture in effective Disaster
Management
Support in building basic
disaster resilience and the
ability to recover quickly
Animals are affected in the
same way - similar basic needs
There are simple practical and
tailored processes that can be
introduced to achieve this

7. World Society for the Protection of Animals
The alternative
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Increase a city’s vulnerability to
shocks and longer recovery
and development time needed
Direct disease and economic
burdens on communities
Indirect burdens through
decreased economic growth,
loss of livelihoods, loss of jobs,
increased poverty and
malnutrition

8. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Case example:
Haiti earthquake
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WSPA is building health and
community resilience through
animal solutions globally
WSPA has numerous global
relationships as examples of
these solutions
Provides further capacity
building and sustainable
solutions for governments and
communities

9. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Animals in urban
disease management
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Millions of dogs are inhumanely
culled worldwide in an attempt to
stop the spread of canine rabies
Killing dogs is not the solution as
it does not stop the disease;
mass dog vaccination is the
only proven solution
WSPA works with governments to
examine their proposed reasons
for culling and help them to
develop tailored vaccination plans
that involve local communities

10. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Science based solutions
• Dogs are the main reservoir
host for human and canine
rabies
• Vaccinating at least 70% of
dogs in an area creates ‘herd
immunity’
• By removing the main source of
infection, rabies cases in dogs
and other animal populations
can be eliminated and human
rabies deaths vastly reduced
• Vaccinating dogs is more cost
effective than culling dogs

11. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Case example:
Zanzibar disease
control
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We partnered with the government
to support their work on appropriate
infrastructure:
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dog population management
humane rabies elimination
work
We collaborated with different
agencies who played an important
role in the delivery of the project
We are sharing key learning with
others and bridging to wider work

12. World Society for the Protection of Animals
Impact:
‘One Health’ approach
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Human and animal health
connected through inter-sector
cooperation to both urban
disease and disaster
management
Partnerships are essential to
understand the capacities and
address the challenges of urban
communities
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Communities
Local and national governments
Intergovernmental organisations
NGOs
Academia

13. Summary – One Health solutions
World Society for the Protection of Animals