Note from the Project Director

STOP Spillover enters 2023 with energy and optimism for our work to decrease the risk of spillover of high priority zoonotic viral pathogens from animals to humans. We believe that understanding the complex interfaces of the spillover ecosystem through the eyes of stakeholders in high-risk communities is an essential part of that work. In this newsletter we share important summary reports of participatory Outcome Mapping engagements in all seven of our host countries. Our country teams and consortium colleagues have joined with stakeholders to prioritize spillover interfaces and pathogens and are designing evidence-based, sustainable interventions. Whether on wildlife farms in Dong Nai province, Vietnam, wild meat markets in Kenema, Sierra Leone, or households in Nimba county, Liberia, STOP Spillover is engaging critical partners and laying the groundwork for risk-reducing change.

As we celebrate the New Year across cultures and welcome the Lunar Year of the Rabbit (or Cat in Vietnam!), we want to thank our community and government partners for their insights and support of our dedicated country teams and colleagues. Together we look forward to sustainable action and impact in the year ahead.

Deborah Kochevar

New Resource: Outcome Mapping Webpage

STOP Spillover aims to enhance global understanding of the complex causes of the spread of a selected group of zoonotic viruses from animals to humans. To do this, we’re taking a One Health approach—focused on getting to the root causes of viral spillover by understanding the role of a wide range of complex drivers of spillover across the environmental, health and wildlife sectors. Part of this approach is using Outcome Mapping, a participatory planning process that brings stakeholders together to design, monitor, and evaluate project interventions for sustainable social and institutional change.

This month, we created a new webpage dedicated to resources about the Outcome Mapping process STOP Spillover facilitated in its priority countries. The page features an overview of the process, as well as country specific reports.

STOP Spillover Hosts Key Global Health Security Stakeholders in Sierra Leone

Last month, the bi-monthly Sierra Leone Global Health Security Agenda Stakeholder Meeting was held at the Tetra Tech office in Freetown. The meeting included attendees from the USAID Mission, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), FAO and Breakthrough Action. The group shared updates on current projects and surveillance activities, and discussed ways to continue collaboration in support of the government and One Health working groups.

STOP Spillover Represented at the 7th One Health Congress

Last November, more than 2000 experts from around the world came together at the 7th World One Health Congress in Singapore to share learnings across diverse disciplines.

STOP Spillover’s Dr. Diafuka Saila-Ngita presented on the project’s Outcome Mapping engagement with stakeholders in Liberia. In addition, STOP Spillover’s Bangladesh Country Team presented on the Outcome Mapping framework as an approach to prioritizing and designing interventions to reduce the risk of spillover in Bangladesh, and as a way to identify non-traditional live-bird market actors and understand their role in risk reduction related to avian influenza. The presentations drew interest from attendees, and the project looks forward to sharing more results at future conferences.

Meet University of Glasgow

University of Glasgow School of Biodiversity, One Health, and Veterinary Medicine (SBOHVM) focuses on quantitative infectious disease ecology, especially as it applies to zoonotic pathogens. The Institute brings zoonotic pathogen ecology and mathematical modeling to STOP Spillover and will work with country teams to design and implement studies to assess spillover interventions.

Dr. Dan Haydon is the deputy lead advisor for the consortium in Cote d’Ivoire. Dr. Luca Nelli is leading a research activity in Uganda, where together with researchers at Makerere University he is working towards filling knowledge gaps about bat biology, ecology, and the ecosystem services provided by bats. This research will inform the development of a community-driven participatory bat monitoring system important to understanding spillover risk.Through a series of workshops aimed at providing capacity strengthening in the use of Geographical Information System (GIS), statistical modeling and spatio-temporal analyses, the SBOHVM team is addressing the following objectives: 

          (i) A systematic literature review of bat ecology and bat-human interactions to            identify available evidence and knowledge gaps, with particular reference to              Uganda and neighboring countries.

          (ii) Development of regional species distribution models, based on existing                published data integrated with citizen-science data on spatial distribution of                different bat species present in Uganda.

          (iii) Identifying local habitat requirements of different bat species, how they                may change seasonally and in the longer term, and mapping areas of high                suitability for key bat species of high likelihood of generating bat-human                    interactions.

Additionally, in Sierra Leone the SBOHVM team is providing support for statistical analysis which aims to investigate the effects of environmental variables (temperature, humidity, rainfall, and land-use, among others) on the risk of exposure to Mastomys rodents and Lassa fever. There is more to come on this in future newsletters!

Digital Learning Platforms post-COVID19 have room for improvement

In late 2022, UNICEF released a report on the state of digital learning across the globe. This report reflected on countries’ progress surrounding digital learning during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadly, UNICEF concluded that education technology systems have broadened education disparities between and within countries. The report evaluated the state of digital learning through five perspectives: 1) information and communication technologies in education policies; 2) digital learning platforms and content; 3) teachers and school leadership; 4) digital literacy; and 5) holistic learning opportunities within and beyond classrooms. Though results of this study vary widely across different countries, it is estimated that only two-thirds of all digital learning platforms are still functional, leaving much room for future improvement in technology and ensuring equitable access.

STOP Spillover aims to enhance the global understanding of the drivers of zoonotic spillover of diseases and technology helps teams better understand risks. Enhancing access to reliable digital learning tools would further these goals.