When two children in Rubaga Division in Uganda were bitten by a stray dog, a Village Health Team (VHT) member acted quickly. In the past, such incidents often went unnoticed or unreported, and VHTs were unsure how to respond.

But thanks to the rabies detection orientation through the Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme 2 (TDDAP2), the VHT recognised the situation as a serious public health risk. They immediately provided first aid to the children and reported the incident using the Ministry of Health reporting system, ensuring timely follow-up and protection for the wider community.

This is emergency response in action.

In a world of increasing climate shocks, interconnectedness, fragmented health systems and competing priorities when resources are critically limited to effectively address increasing public health threats, the One Health approach has never been more important. It offers a practical way to understand the links between human, animal and environmental health, and when embedded into health systems, it builds resilience and helps protect communities before crises escalate.

In recent years, diseases that cross over from animals to humans, known as zoonoses, have been on the rise. Ebola, Mpox, Anthrax, Rabies, and Rift Valley fever are just a few examples. At the same time, the effects of climate change, from flooding to rising temperatures and shifting ecosystems, are accelerating the spread of communicable diseases. By recognising these connections and applying a One Health lens to health security programming, we can strengthen systems to prepare, prevent, detect and respond to emerging threats before they become pandemics.

Through the UK-funded TDDAP2, Palladium has strengthened health security in Ghana, DRC, Kenya, Uganda and Malawi. One Health has been a guiding principle throughout, from policy and coordination to data systems and capacity building. The programme, which works to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, does so by strengthening systems and embedding capabilities at the national and community level.

Breaking Down Barriers Across Sectors

At the heart of the One Health approach is coordination across sectors. Diseases that move between animals and animal ecosystems cannot be managed by a single Ministry, yet in many countries responsibilities have historically been fragmented. Bringing sectors together enables preparation, earlier detection of risks, more effective prevention and a faster, more coherent response when outbreaks occur. Beyond strengthening coordination and establishing platforms, TDDAP2 has focused on translating policy into action and ensuring sustainability of One Health interventions through domestic financing.

In Uganda, TDDAP2 has advocated for health security domestic financing and multisectoral One Health governance at both national and district levels. The programme supported the dissemination of the National One Health Policy and National One Health Strategic Plan II, and, which are catalytic to unlocking domestic financing and enforcing multisectoral coordination.

Similar progress has been made in Malawi, where TDDAP2 is working closely with key UN agencies to support the government to develop a One Health National Action Plan. This joint Plan helps translate international commitments into country-level priorities.

Using Digital Tools to Connect the Dots

Effective management of zoonotic and other emerging disease threats requires coordinated surveillance across human, animal, and environmental sectors. However, fragmented data systems often prevent timely information sharing, making it difficult to detect disease patterns linked to wildlife movements and other environmental risk factors.

TDDAP2 supported the adoption of digital technologies to strengthen One Health coordination and surveillance. In Kenya, the programme piloted the integration of EarthRanger—a real-time platform for wildlife conservation and ecosystem monitoring—with the Kenya Animal Bio-surveillance System, creating links between the Kenya Wildlife Service and the National Veterinary Surveillance Database. In DRC, TDDAP2 supported the development of accredited virtual training modules on epidemic and zoonotic disease management, engaging stakeholders from the Ministries of Health, Veterinary Laboratory, Fishing and Livestock sectors.

Integrated surveillance systems and cross-sector virtual training strengthened One Health coordination and improved the sharing of critical data and knowledge across human, animal and environmental health sectors. Together, these efforts support more effective tracking of disease patterns, enabling earlier detection and response to emerging health threats.

Empowering Communities

An effective One Health approach depends on the people closest to disease outbreaks However, knowledge gaps around disease risks and weak reporting pathways can often delay the identification and management of emerging threats.

In Uganda, the team supported the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries to train 104 veterinarians and paraprofessionals and 102 livestock farmers from Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono, on how to recognise the warning signs of zoonotic disease and report them.

The team also supported 51 Community Health Communities of Practice, designed to connect communicable disease health workers and provide peer learning platforms, like the one that helped the VHT member in Rubaga respond so effectively.

Enhanced frontline skills and stronger community networks improved countries' ability to detect and report zoonotic diseases. By building capacity across human and animal health sectors, these efforts support more effective tracking of disease patterns and earlier response to emerging health threats.

As climate shocks intensify, pandemic risks grow and donor budgets tighten, a One Health approach must remain at the centre of the global health security agenda. It breaks down siloed thinking and working, and most importantly, it brings people together around a shared goal: protecting people, animals and the planet.