STOP Spillover Publication

We’re One! Check out STOP Spillover’s First Annual Report

STOP Spillover is working to understand and address the risks posed by known zoonotic viruses with the potential to spill over from animals and cause outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics in humans. Knowing what to do to reduce risks of viral spillover is not enough – we must engage diverse national and local stakeholders to help institutionalize that knowledge in communities and governments.

USAID Administrator Samantha Power noted in a recent address, "If we truly want to make aid inclusive, local voices need to be at the center of everything we do. We‘ve got to tap into the knowledge of local communities, and their lived-experiences."

STOP Spillover's first year was defined by its deep engagement with countries, key stakeholders, and communities. Their contributions and guidance have helped ensure that STOP Spillover's approach is inclusive and will have a sustainable impact on decreasing the risks of zoonotic viral spillover.

Project Update

Thank You, Liberia Stakeholders

This month more than 60 national and sub-national stakeholders in Liberia came together to discuss ways to reduce zoonotic spillover risks. A three-day outcome mapping session was held from February 23-25, 2022 in Ganta in Nimba County. The entire STOP Spillover team thanks everyone for their participation.

On the Blog

Why Gender Matters for Stopping Spillovers and Future Pandemics

On International Women’s Day, Tufts University’s Dyan Mazurana and the STOP Spillover Gender Action Team published a new blog exploring how gender affects zoonotic spillover and what policymakers and practitioners can do to address this issue. 

“The gendered, social, cultural, and economic determinants people face, as well as the society they live in and their ability to respond and act, affect their risk of spillover exposure, health-seeking behavior, and preventive and response measures," they write.

Reflections from Devex’s Prescription for Progress Event

Last month we highlighted Devex’s Prescription for Progress event, which focused on scaling up One Health solutions. In case you missed it, you can watch the event here. Here are some key takeaways:

On GENOMIC SEQUENCING: WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan discussed strengthening genomic surveillance in low and middle income countries. She stated that almost two-thirds of all countries improved their genomic sequencing abilities during COVID, developing major capacity that did not exist before. She also emphasized that there are still challenges related to genomic sequencing in lower income countries, particularly upfront and operational costs, and training people to run the systems.

On PREVENTING THE NEXT PANDEMIC: During a panel discussion on One Health, Dr. Dennis Carroll from the Global Virome Project discussed the prospects for a global pandemic treaty to aid international cooperation in preventing future pandemics. Carroll discussed the need to boost institutions’ pandemic prevention efforts and prioritize those instead of just pandemic preparedness. He also emphasized the need to invest in additional surveillance and monitoring so that “we have a chance to go to the virus before the virus comes to us.”

For more information about how STOP Spillover is applying technological innovations to stop future spillovers and pandemics, click here to get it touch.

Meet AFROHUN

The Africa One Health University Network (AFROHUN) works to transform the training environment in universities to equip the next-generation workforce to address epidemics, pandemics, and complex health challenges. Through multidisciplinary experiential learning training programs, the organization helps to re-tool teachers and trainers, and educate communities about the transmission of zoonotic and infectious diseases, all while engaging national and sub-national governments in integrating One Health into strategic planning and national policy.

AFROHUN, STOP Spillover’s implementing partner in Uganda and Liberia, works closely with the technical team from our global consortium as part of USAID’s commitment to empower local expertise.

“The best way to prevent emerging zoonotic diseases is to involve everybody at all levels. We must bring everyone to the table, identify the problem, identify the gap, and agree on the solution and how to manage the gap,” said Professor William Bazeyo, CEO of AFROHUN. “Communities must be connected with veterinarians, public health professionals, and wildlife stakeholders and be made aware of the effects of interacting with animals, or they will continue to mingle with, hunt, eat, and stay with animals in their homes without knowing the possible dangers or consequences. Only together, can we prevent emerging zoonotic diseases.”