Understanding the role of household hygiene practices and foodborne disease risks in child stunting: a UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub protocol paper

INTRODUCTION

Environmental hygiene and food safety are important determinants of child stunting. This research aims to explore the relationship between child stunting and household hygiene practices and behaviours, including the availability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities; the use of safe food and good quality drinking water (especially when used for complementary feeding); hygienic practices in food transport, storage and preparation and the control of cross-contamination from animals, their produce and waste.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This study is part of a wider observational study which aims to investigate the interdisciplinary factors contributing to child stunting using a 'whole child' paradigm. The observational study recruits women during pregnancy in Hyderabad, India, Lombok, Indonesia and Kaffrine, Senegal, and dyads (ie, 500 mother-infant pairs per country) are followed longitudinally up to 24 months after birth. Within the interdisciplinary niche, the study here has developed tools to investigate the potential exposure pathways to environmental pathogen contamination of foods and water. Holistic WASH and food safety data collection tools have been developed to explore exposure pathways at the household level, including: (1) survey questionnaires; (2) spot-checks; (3) biological sampling of drinking water, food and domestic surfaces and (4) direct observation. An integrated analytical approach will be used to triangulate the evidence in order to examine the relationships between child stunting, WASH and food safety behaviours.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval of the study was granted by the ethics committee of the LSHTM, RVC, ILRI, ICMR, IIPHG, SEAMEO-RECFON, University of Cheikh Anta Diop. Findings of the study will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals, relevant international conferences, public engagement events, and policy-maker and stakeholder events.

Brucellosis in West and Central Africa: A review of the current situation in a changing landscape of dairy cattle systems

Brucellosis is a neglected endemic zoonosis in West and Central Africa. In this narrative review, evidence of livestock and human infection is presented along with details of past and current control strategies in 14 selected countries. Data from available literature is combined with expert opinion elicited during a regional workshop on brucellosis diagnostics. Demographic changes that affect both the epidemiology of brucellosis and the success of control or surveillance are also considered. The evidence suggests that brucellosis prevalence in emerging peri-urban dairy cattle systems may be higher than that found in traditional transhumant extensive systems. Accurate microbiological and epidemiological evidence across the region is lacking but it appears there is inherent interest in controlling the disease. There are many data gaps which require collaborative future research to evaluate fully the social and economic impact of the disease in an evolving livestock sector heavily influenced by high rates of urbanisation and regional population growth.

Trade patterns facilitating highly pathogenic avian influenza virus dissemination in the free-grazing layer duck system in Vietnam

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses continue to threaten smallholder poultry producers in several South-east Asian countries, including Vietnam. In particular, the free-grazing duck system has been repeatedly highlighted as a major risk factor for HPAI outbreaks. Free-grazing ducks, which scavenge on rice paddies after the harvest, account for a large proportion of the duck population in Vietnam and the wider South-east Asian region. However, the structure and dynamics of the free-grazing duck production from farm to consumption has not been described for Vietnam. In this study, we used a value chain approach to provide a complete picture of the actors involved in the production and marketing of free-grazing duck eggs and spent layer ducks, as well as to investigate the governance structure of this food system. Group interviews and key informant interviews were conducted in two provinces located in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) and the Red River Delta (RRD). The results presented here highlight similarities and differences in farming and trade practices between the two provinces. The trade of spent layer ducks involved large volumes of live ducks being sent to China and Cambodia for consumption, generating a substantial risk of transboundary spread of pathogens, including HPAI viruses. We describe the major role of "duck yards", which act as hubs in the northbound trade of spent layer ducks. These yards should be considered as essential links in the value chain of spent layer ducks when considering HPAI surveillance and control. The veterinary authorities are only marginally involved in the value chain activities, and their influence could be strengthened by increasing surveillance activities for instance in duck yards. Last, we discuss the dynamics of the duck value chain and further implications for future HPAI management policies.

A review of the metrics for One Health benefits

One Health as a concept has been with us for many years, yet it is only recently that it is actively being discussed as a way of mitigating risks in society. Initiatives in the use of this concept require methods to monitor the benefits gained from an holistic approach to health, yet there is an absence of adequate frameworks to measure One Health benefits. This paper explores the problem with a review of the available literature and an examination of methods used. It concludes that most published work on One Health describes how this concept is valuable without trying to estimate the size of benefit or type of value. A framework for measuring the advantages of a One Health approach is needed and, through the process of an international workshop and the development of a One Health business case, the authors are working towards its development.

Assessing the expenditure distribution of animal health surveillance: the case of Great Britain

Animal health surveillance in Great Britain (GB) is conducted through public and private initiatives, yet there is no consolidated information on these activities and their outcomes. We developed an inventory of livestock health surveillance programmes in GB to identify gaps in resource use and potential synergies that could be exploited. The inventory contained details of 36 livestock surveillance activities active in 2011. Data were collected by questionnaire and interviews. Livestock health surveillance funding was found to be unevenly distributed between species: the vast majority (approximately 94 per cent) was spent on cattle diseases (tuberculosis surveillance accounted for most of this expenditure), with 2 per cent on pigs, 2 per cent on sheep/goats, 1 per cent on poultry, and 1 per cent on antimicrobial resistance surveillance across all species. Consequently, surveillance efforts in GB appears heavily skewed towards regions with high cattle densities, particularly high-prevalence tuberculosis areas such as the southwest. The contribution of private schemes to surveillance funding was hard to quantify due to limited access to data, but was estimated to be about 10 per cent. There is scope to better understand the benefits of surveillance, enhance data sharing, clarify costs and identify who pays and who gains. Health surveillance should be considered within the sharing of responsibilities for disease control.

Backyard chicken keeping in the Greater London Urban Area: welfare status, biosecurity and disease control issues

1. The aim of the study was to collect baseline data on welfare, biosecurity and diseases of backyard chickens kept in the Greater London Urban Area (GLUA), United Kingdom (UK). 2. A total of 65 backyard chicken flock-keepers were recruited from May to July 2010 through adverts on websites, at City farms, veterinary practices and pet feed stores and surveyed by means of a questionnaire. A total of 30 responses were suitable for analysis. 3. Information on keepers' and flocks' characteristics, housing and husbandry practices and owners' knowledge of health problems in chickens and zoonotic diseases was collected. A welfare assessment protocol was developed and the flocks assessed accordingly. 4. Results showed that chickens were generally provided with living conditions that allowed them to perform their natural behaviours. 5. Most of the flock owners did not comply with the regulations of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on the feeding of catering waste. 6. Disease prevention measures such as vaccination and biosecurity, including limiting the access of human visitors, wild birds and rodents to the flocks were rare. 7. A lack of avian and zoonotic disease knowledge and awareness among the owners has implications for disease control and highlights the need for improved communication between owners, authorities and veterinarians.