Quito, February 13, 2025 (PANAFTOSA/VPH-PAHO/WHO) – In an effort to improve the country’s capacity for surveillance and response concerning the avian influenza outbreaks, professionals from Ecuador’s official sectors of human health, animal health, and the environment participated from February 11 to 13 in the Intersectoral Risk Assessment for Zoonotic Influenza (EVIR) workshop in Quito, organized by PANAFTOSA/VPH from Department of Communicable Disease Prevention, Control, and Elimination (CDE) and the Infectious Threat Management Unit from the Department of Health Emergencies (PHE/IHM) of PAHO, with the support of the PAHO Office in Ecuador.
The EVIR tool, developed by PANAFTOSA, allows for the assessment and identification of risks associated with the transmission of zoonotic avian influenza at the human-animal interface.
Through the online system, the participants of public health, animal health, and the environmental sectors were able to conduct an intersectoral evaluation of risks assessment interactively, in real time, and with technical exchanges.
During the workshop, 24 professionals from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the environment, and the Agricultural Health Service (AGROCALIDAD) identified and mapped the critical points for avian influenza transmission, focusing on the A(H5N1) subtype, within Ecuador’s intersectoral chain, integrating the capacities of the three key sectors. Risk points for animal outbreaks and occupational exposure were identified, with the aim of mitigating disease transmission between animals and humans, reducing the impact on public health and the country’s economy.
This workshop provides inputs to define key roles for each sector in prevention, surveillance, control, and response to potencial outbreaks. During the working sessions, knowledge gaps were also identified.
EVIR contributes to strengthening evidence-based risk management strategies and enhances the ability to respond to a potencial avian zoonotic influenza threat that could trigger a pandemic. Moreover, it promotes effective and continuous communication among the involved sectors, which is essential for proper risk management.
The activity is funded by the PROTECT pandemic fund, an initiative aimed to improve and strengthen pandemic response in seven South American countries, with a focus on surveillance and laboratory systems in border regions of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.
This effort aligns with actions defined through the Intersectoral Commission for the Prevention and Control of Zoonotic Influenza in the Americas (CIPCIZA), a regional forum under the PAHO secretariat, which promotes intersectoral collaboration to implement the One Health approach in the fight against avian influenza and other zoonotic influenzas.
Importance of Intersectoral Collaboration
Avian influenza A(H5N1) has been an increasing concern in the Americas, especially in countries like Ecuador, where outbreaks of this disease have been reported.
Since the end of 2021, the Americas region has been experiencing an epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in animals caused by the A(H5N1) subtype, which has increased the regional risk of zoonotic transmission. This outbreak is also affecting wild mammals across the region, as well as domestic animals, particularly in the United States. Additionally, human infections with A(H5N1) have been reported in Canada, Chile, Ecuador, and the United States.
This scenario highlights that zoonotic avian influenza not only affects birds but can also be transmitted to mammals, including humans. For this reason, collaboration between the involved sectors is crucial to prevent transmission and mitigate public health risks.
