This project aims to fill gaps in One Health surveillance of prioritised pathogens in the Netherlands. The consortium will focus on avian and swine influenza by testing and analysing samples in wild mammals, outdoor pigs and the environment. In addition, samples from wild birds and wild mammals will be tested for West Nile virus. All results will be stored and analysed within a molecular data platform, where they will be integrated with human influenza surveillance data to assess risks for public health. Data will also be shared with EFSA.

A key lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic - and other zoonotic events - is the urgent need for robust surveillance and monitoring strategies. These strategies are essential to ensure rapid detection and identification of cross-border health concerns, enabling timely and effective interventions. Approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases originate from animals. When such diseases cross the species barrier and spread among humans, they can trigger pandemics. Early warning of zoonotic pathogens in animals or the environment is therefore the first line of defence in reducing the risk of human infection. To achieve this, timely monitoring in humans must be combined with surveillance of zoonotic pathogens in animals and in the environment – an integrated One Health surveillance - both at EU European Union (European Union ) and national levels.

Data exchange and joint analyses across these domains are vital. Digitalisation of surveillance systems plays a central role, enabling efficient sharing and access to both animal and human health data. This supports rapid containment of animal outbreaks to prevent human exposure, strengthens healthcare responses (primary data use), and facilitates research strategies and health policy development (secondary data use). There is a pressing need for more rapid and effective responses to zoonotic diseases. This requires moving away from traditionally siloed approaches to health, and instead embracing practices that are integrated across disciplines.

The EU4Health call "One Health surveillance in animals and the environment" invites Member States’ authorities responsible for One Health surveillance to contribute to the establishment and scaling up of animal health and environmental surveillance systems. This includes a systematic, ongoing collection of data and data sharing with EFSA.

Project objectives

1. Collect data to strengthen wildlife and outdoor pig surveillance for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAIV), Swine Influenza A Virus (SwIAV), West Nile Virus (WNV) and possibly disease X, according to the disease and surveillance cards described by EFSA and by Strong1H.
2. Establish a national online One Health data sharing platform for (genetic) data on influenza (HPAIV, SwIAV), with later expansion to include WNV.
3. Identify national risks and priorities by conducting preliminary assessments using the data collected.
4. Share the collected data with EFSA and evaluate current and future health risks.
5. Develop a roadmap for further implementation of One Health surveillance systems for HPAIV, SwIAV, and WNV in the Netherlands.
6. Improve collaboration between the One Health partners through national capacity building.

Consortium

The Strong1H consortium consists of Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR), Royal GD (GD), Erasmus Medical Center (EMC), Utrecht University/Dutch Wildlife Health Centre (UU/DWHC) and RIVM.

RIVM role

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports declared RIVM competent authority in the Netherlands to coordinate national One Health surveillance systems.

Prof. Lapo Mughini Gras is coordinator of Strong1H. Several RIVM colleagues from RIVM's Centre for Infectious Disease Control are involved.

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union’s EU4Health Programme under Grant Agreement No 101132302.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

More information

If you have questions about Strong1H, send an email to: Strong1H@rivm.nl.