Paper short abstract:

In the recent past outbreaks( Lassa fever, Ebola,COVID-19), there has been wide-scale investments in disease surveillance and veterinary training in Sierra Leone. In the paper, I argue that these investments in surveillance are limited in the sense that they still lack reach and capacity.

Paper long abstract:

Animal Health is Human Health: changing multispecies relationships in the context of new zoonotic disease surveillance systems and increased veterinary capacity in Sierra Leone

By

Tommy Matthew Hanson

School of Social Science and Law Njala University

In the recent past, outbreaks such as Lassa fever, Ebola, and COVID-19 have claimed the lives of many people and exposed the fragile nature of the health system in Sierra Leone. A significant legacy, particularly since the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic, has been wide-scale investments in disease surveillance and veterinary training.

While much has been written about the failure of humanitarian agencies and people’s experiences during pandemics, minimal attention has been given to the longer-term legacies of pandemic recovery. In particular, in Sierra Leone, we need to know more about how new kinds of surveillance systems, growing veterinary capacity, and community involvement with these initiatives are playing out. This paper explores how these initiatives are changing the way people live their everyday lives, including how people engage with a health system with new priorities and concerns, and how livelihood activities involving animals are changing as a result.

In the paper, I argue that these investments in surveillance and veterinary medicine are limited in the sense that they still lack reach and capacity, but where communities are engaging with them, they are making a profound impact on the way that people understand multi-species health and use animals in their livelihoods.