“Following our careful evaluation of the mandate, key activities and competencies, the achievement of scientific, technical and political prestige and commitment to strengthening capacity development in areas relevant to FAO, as well as the experience of previous collaboration, I am pleased to inform you that the IZS of Teramo has been designated FAO Reference Center for One Health”.
With these words, the director general of FAO, Maria Helena Semedohe communicated to his colleague from the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Abruzzo and Molise Nicola D’Alterio the choice to focus on the Teramo research center as a reference center for integrated health.
The One health approach is the protagonist of the activity of the Zooprophylactic of Abruzzo and Molise
A choice which, in the words of D’Alterio, “rewards the scientific expertise of the Institute”. The Abruzzo structure is in fact placed at the head of a network of research structures, as already happened with the establishment of the Reference Centers for veterinary epidemiology and zoonotic coronaviruses.
“We have always worked following the One Health approach with the aim of achieving global health and paying particular attention to the most vulnerable populations living in developing countries: where the relationship between people’s health, the health of their animals and the environment in which they live, with all that entails”.
What will be the Institute’s tasks as a reference center for FAO?
There are several tasks of the new Reference Center which, first of all, is called upon to provide “specific and independent technical-scientific advice” to the FAO in activities to support the development of the Organization’s member countries. The Teramo Zooprophylactic will have to:
- Provide diagnostic services on suspected and confirmed outbreaks of emerging zoonotic pathogens
- Provide training and consultancy for the development of the capacity of national veterinary laboratories of FAO member countries
- Develop and strengthen the surveillance system to monitor antimicrobial resistance in relation to the human, animal and environmental interface
- Perform molecular characterization of pathogens in wastewater
- Strengthen the early detection and characterization of emerging pathogens, using technologies such as Next Generation Sequencing
- Promote research for the development of new generation veterinary vaccines and the production of diagnostic kits and biological reagents
- Provide technical support for the development of predictive epidemiological models for the control of diseases such as Rift Valley and West Nile fever, Dengue, Zika
A commitment also confirmed by the One health award
Confirming the commitment of the Abruzzo research center in the field of integrated health is also the choice to promote (from 2022) the One Health Award, a space for public debate with scientists from different disciplines, political decision makers, scientific communicators , communication professionals and protagonists of the world of culture and entrepreneurship.
“We are convinced – concludes D’Alterio – that to prevent the spread of diseases we must implement interdisciplinary actions on a health, political and daily practice level”.
Compliments from the Undersecretary of Health Gemmato
The investiture of the Zooprophylactic Institute of Abruzzo and Molise was also welcomed by the Ministry of Health.
“The designation as a FAO Reference Center testifies to the institute’s commitment and excellence in promoting health and well-being through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach,” said the undersecretary, Marcello Gemmato. “The Teramo Zooprophylactic Institute, with its commitment and expertise, has proven to be a point of reference in the field of One health, contributing significantly to the protection of public health and the environment”.
