ICONZ: Integrated Control of Neglected Zoonosis

This project aims to Improve Human Health and Animal Production in developing countries through Integrated Control of Neglected Zoonoses in animals, based on Scientific Innovation and Public Engagement

ICONZ

Neglected Zoonotic Diseases

ICONZ (Integrated Control of Neglected Zoonosis) works on eight neglected zoonoses - Anthrax, Bovine Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Cysticercosis, Echinococcosis, Leishmaniasis, Rabies and Human African Trypanosomiasis.

Quantitative and qualitative research has taken place in seven International Partner Co-operation Countries (ICPCs) across Africa; Morocco, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.

Through these field-based case studies, improved control and awareness of neglected zoonotic disease at both community and national/regional policy levels has been achieved.

How is ICONZ Different?

What makes ICONZ unique is its interdisciplinary structure - involving vets, medical doctors, basic scientists, epidemiologists and social scientists (to name but a few).

ICONZ is divided up into 12 ‘work-packages’ (areas of expertise) who collaborate together to tackle zoonotic diseases in 8 case study areas (locations in Africa).

The ‘I’ in ICONZ stands for ‘integrated’ - a common sense approach; joined up thinking. Experts work together to find the best means of fighting these diseases, and to ensure that any interventions are culturally appropriate and economically costed, ready for adoption into the policy frameworks of affected countries.

Project Objectives

  • To map global research into neglected zoonoses
  • To obtain knowledge and information on the neglected zoonoses in terms of disease, epidemiology and burdens
  • To improve and develop control tools for the neglected zoonoses by identifying gaps and investing in the development of new tools needed to effectively control these diseases
  • To improve and develop integrated control and prevention strategies promoting the concept of ‘one health’. This involves dealing with health problems in people, their livestock and other domestic and wild animals they depend on for their livelihoods through the development of integrated ‘intervention packages
  • To promote intersectoral collaboration in the control of neglected zoonoses
  • To empower women in decision making related to control of neglected zoonoses in livestock through messaging cognisant of traditional knowledge and appropriate to the economic, sociological and cultural contexts of affected communities
  • To transfer technologies and build capacity in developing countries to control neglected zoonoses
  • To ensure maximum benefit from the project by a pro-active programme of dissemination aimed at all relevant stakeholders especially by raising the profile of the neglected zoonotic diseases both internationally and within affected countries.

Partners

ICONZ is coordinated by the University of Edinburgh and involves 21 partner institutions located across Africa and Europe:

University of Edinburgh, UK (Project coordinator) Institute for Tropical Medicine, Belgium
University of Copenhagen, Denmark ANSES, France
Claude Bernard University Lyon, France Friedrich Loeffler Institute - Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Germany
University of Minho, Portugal University of Navarra, Spain
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden Swiss TPH, Switzerland
University of Liverpool, UK Central Veterinary Laboratory, Mali
Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Institute, Morocco Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria Makerere University, Uganda
SACEMA, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
University of Zambia, Zambia AVIA-GIS, Belgium
International Livestock Research Institute, International Organisation  

Co-ordinator

This project is under the direction of Sue Welburn, Professor of Medical and Veterinary Molecular Epidemiology in the School of Biomedical Sciences’ Centre for Infectious Diseases.

It’s within our power as a global community, to intervene to help to improve the livelihoods and quality of life of millions of people. Put simply, if you want to combat poverty, what greater gift to give communities than their health?

Professor Sue Welburn
Vice Principal, Global Access, University og Edinburgh

Funding

ICONZ received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 221948.

Partner Projects

ICONZ has been run in close association with two other EC Framework 7 programmes - ADVANZ (Advocacy for Neglected Zoonotic Diseases) and OH-NEXTGEN (Training of the One Health Next Scientific Generation in the Sahel and Maghreb)

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