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This SPAR resource library provides a single source for all SPAR related documents including the guidance document and all organized by technical capacity. In addition, we’ve provided documents that are referenced in the Annex. We hope that this will be resource for National Focal Points and their multi-sectoral teams as they prepare for and submit the SPAR each year.
Please click the link below to access the library.
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The One Health Systems Assessment for Priority Zoonoses (OH-SAPZ) tool is a published methodology for assessing national and sub-national systems for communication and coordination between sectors for the prevention and control of priority zoonotic diseases. Piloted in Jordan and Egypt in 2013-2014, the team has since worked with the governments of Algeria, Iraq, Guinea and Libya to implement the method and assist with One Health capacity building, in line with the International Health Regulations (2005) and Joint External Evaluation process. The methodology combines a collaborative, consensus-driven zoonotic disease prioritization step, involving relevant government ministries and potentially other pertinent partners, with a systems “mapping” that uses the identified priority zoonotic diseases as case studies to explore the existing linkages and gaps in coordination between human, animal, and environmental health at all levels of the health systems (see schematic below). The case study approach allows for a robust and detailed evaluation, grounded in real-life examples, of the processes supporting disease prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, case management, and response between and within sectors. Where possible, the methodology can also incorporate field site visits, table-top exercises, and other mechanisms to further explore systems capabilities and identify existing best practices as well as opportunities for additional capacity strengthening.
OH-SAPZ has been included in the Surveillance and Information Sharing Operational Toolkit (SISOT), part of the FAO, WOAH and WHO’s Taking a Multisectoral, One Health Approach: A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases in Countries.
Our 3rd edition Manual for the OHSAPZ methodology is available for download and use. To access the OHSAPZ manual, please visit this link. For additional inquiries related to the project, please contact Erin Sorrell at esorrell@jhu.edu and Claire Standley at claire.standley@georgetown.edu
Publications:
Sorrell EM, El Azhari M, Maswdeh N, Kornblet S, Standley CJ, Katz R, ... , Fischer JE. (2015). Mapping of networksto detect priority zoonoses in Jordan. Front. Public Health,3:219. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2015.00219
Standley CJ, Carlin EP, Sorrell EM,Barry AM, Bile E, Diakitec AS, ..., Katz R. (2019). Assessing health systems in Guinea for prevention and control of priority zoonotic diseases: A One Health approach. One Health, 7. DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2019.100093
Miller LN, Elmselati H, Fogarty AS, Farhat ME, Standley CJ, Abuabaid HM, Zorgani A, Elahmer O, Sorrell EM. Using One Health assessments to leverage endemic disease frameworks for emerging zoonotic disease threats in Libya. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023 Jul 26;3(7):e0002005. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002005. PMID: 37494334; PMCID: PMC10370693.
Standley CJ, Fogarty AS, Miller LN, Sorrell EM. One Health Systems Assessments for Sustainable Capacity Strengthening to Control Priority Zoonotic Diseases Within and Between Countries. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2023 Nov 21;16:2497-2504. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S428398. PMID: 38024504; PMCID: PMC10676109.
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Implementing a comprehensive biorisk management system is critical to reduce both the safety and security risks associated with biological agents. In order to promote bioriskmanagement best practices at the institutional level, laboratories need to undergo biorisk assessments to identify biosafety and biosecurity gaps. While there are numerous resources available, it is not always obvious for facility-level biosafety officers or lab managers to know where to start. Additionally, there is an evident need for adapted resources with practical and field-tested methods, particularly for areas that face infrastructural challenges or periods of instability. Drawing from existing assessment methodologies and guidance documents, Georgetown University (GU) has adapted the World Health Organisation (WHO) Laboratory Assessment Tool (2012) and developed its own self-assessment approach to suit the conditions and associated challenges with traditional models of capacity strengthening. The GU Self Lab Assessment Tool (S-LAT) is designed for the self-assessment of biorisk management functions in a research or diagnostic laboratory and for public and veterinary health facilities. As this is a self-assessment tool, it can be completed internally by laboratory personnel and does not rely on external experts coming to the facility. The tool has been specifically tailored to address challenges observed in regional/sub-national laboratories and aims to support the systematic analysis of public health and veterinary laboratory structures and capabilities to provide insight on gaps specific to biosafety and waste management. The tool focuses on laboratory infrastructure and equipment, administration and training, biorisk management systems, specimen collection, handling, transport and referral and waste management. In addition to the assessment, the S-LAT contains an action plan that automatically generates as the tools are electronically completed. The action plan can be used to facilitate implementing any identified gaps from the self-assessment and determine short-, mid-and long-term activities that will strengthen their capacity. Assessors can identify the level of priority of a particular action (low, medium or high), a timeline for when the action should be completed and the who is person responsible for ensuring the action is completed. At this time, the S-LAT has been piloted in laboratories in Morocco and Libya. A link to the S-LAT, in English, French, and Arabic, can be found at the link below:
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Please check frequently for updates.