The four-year COHESIVE project aimed to develop sustainable One Health approaches with respect to signalling, assessing and controlling zoonoses at the national level within EU European Union (European Union ) countries and across borders. COHESIVE is part of the One Health European Joint Programme. RIVM was the coordinator of the COHESIVE project.

Project deliverables

1. Guidelines for setting up a One Health Risk Analysis System (OHRAS) in European countries. The practical guide is a result of co-creation by many partners in the COHESIVE project.
2. A roadmap consisting of five steps to set up a OHRAS.
3. The COHESIVE Information System (CIS) provides IT tools and data that are quickly available, usable and helpful in outbreak situations and for risk assessments. CIS is an open source database.
4. Capacity building within and between EU countries at several levels within the area of zoonotic diseases.

COHESIVE resources can be used to facilitate international coordination, improve the efficiency of One Health risk analyses and benefit pandemic disease preparedness. 

Partners

• Austria: The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES)
• Belgium: Sciensano
• Germany: The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment FLI: Friedrich Loeffler Institute (BfR), Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI)
• Italy: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise IZS AM, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia‐Romagna (IZS LER), Istituto Superiore di Sanita (ISS) 
• Norway: Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI)
• Sweden: National Veterinary Institute Sweden PHA: Public Health Agency NFA: National food Agency (SVA)
• The Netherlands: National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR)
• United Kingdom: Animal and Plant Health Agency PHE: Public Health England (APHA), Public Health England (PHE)

Reflection

COHESIVE focused on developing guidelines and tools for One Health approaches to signalling, assessing and controlling zoonoses. These resources can facilitate international cooperation and improve pandemic preparedness. Read about the accomplishments, challenges and hopes for One Health approaches in the future in this interview with COHESIVE coordinator Kitty Maassen.

Funding

COHESIVE is part of the One Health European Joint Programme (EJP) which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 773830.