U.S. to support in addressing climate-related health challenges

The United States Mission to Vietnam, with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), launched an project in Can Tho city and An Giang province on June 7. This project aims to enhance the local capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to emerging infectious diseases related to climate change.

The event saw the participation of Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee; Aler Grubbs, USAID's Mission Director for Vietnam; Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam; and representatives from various departments and agencies in Can Tho city and An Giang province.

"USAID and Vietnam will utilize nearly twenty years of collaboration under the One Health project, with a new focus on climate change," emphasized Mission Director Aler Grubbs.

"On this day, we are pleased to announce the first One Health project funded by USAID, focusing on the nexus of public health and climate change, to be implemented in Can Tho city and An Giang province. Together, we will protect public health and support a resilient, independent, and prosperous Vietnam," added Mission Director Aler Grubbs.

Vietnam is highly vulnerable to the emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic diseases. This risk is further compounded by Vietnam's susceptibility to the impacts of climate change, including altered rainfall patterns, saltwater intrusion, and frequent and intense weather events and natural disasters. These factors lead to increased interactions between wildlife, livestock, and humans; thereby increasing the risk of disease transmission.

Flooding and an increase in storms also pose risks to local healthcare infrastructure, and affect people's access to healthcare services; which restrict the healthcare workers' ability to prevent, detect, and control diseases.

The recently announced project is scheduled for implementation in Can Tho and An Giang, two regions vulnerable to climate change in the Mekong Delta region.

Following consultations with local stakeholders, including businesses and women's unions, the project will pilot provincial-level models to enhance One Health climate change resilience in human, animal, and environmental health.

Planned activities under the project include upgrading initial healthcare facilities to support continuous healthcare services during extreme weather events; strengthening telemedicine services; and equipping provincial and local healthcare systems to enhance responsiveness to public health threats related to climate change.

"Increasing levels of droughts, saltwater intrusion, and storm in the Mekong Delta region can lead to increased risks of dengue fever, infectious diseases and the transmission of zoonoses.

The project will support local governments, communities, and other partners in Can Tho city and An Giang province to detect, prevent, and respond to public health threats related to climate change. Furthermore, the project aims to raise awareness regarding the close interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health," emphasized Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, during the event.

The United States remains a committed partner of Vietnam in addressing both long-standing and emerging infectious disease threats, with a focus on the shared priorities between the two nations and within the framework of their Comprehensive Partnership.

The Vietnam One Health 2023 High Level Forum for Zoonoses for the years between 2021 and 2025 was held on the morning of November 7, 2023 in Hanoi. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the United States Agency for International Development.

The forum aimed to review the implementation results of the One Health Initative across the fields of health, agriculture, and environment, as well as the coordination of zoonoses activities in 2023. It highlighted the limitations and proposed solutions to enhance multi-sectoral cooperation in achieving the objectives and tasks under the National One Health Multisectoral Plan.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, mobilizing multi-sectoral coordination and multilateral cooperation during a pandemic is the key to disease prevention and control. Consequently, One Health is the optimal approach to ensure planetary safety and public health.

In the era of extensive globalization, increased trade activities, coupled with climate change and rapid urbanization, has increased interactions between humans, animals, and ecosystems. This can alter existing disease vectors and introduce new pathogens, thereby posing substantial risks to human health. Societal collaboration and support, as well as international community cooperation, are crucial to effectively address these challenges.

With these challenges in mind, the One Health approach continues to assert itself as the optimal method for tackling issues related to public health.