Uganda stands as a 'hot spot' for emerging infectious diseases, grappling with epidemics like Ebola, Marburg, plague, Rift Valley fever, yellow fever, and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever. Historically, Uganda faced challenges in realizing the One Health (OH) approach due to weak partnerships between human and animal health at national levels, bureaucratic barriers, and limited recognition at district levels. Furthermore, suboptimal interoperability among health surveillance systems and uncoordinated emergency preparedness teams compounded these issues. There was a dearth of coordination across sectors, government commitment, advocacy, awareness, and research.
Nevertheless, Uganda remains committed to OH, developing a strategic plan and communication strategy, forming a National One Health platform with sectoral Memorandums of Understanding. Efforts to integrate OH into academia are also underway. Uganda's participation in the COHESA project aims to bolster institutional arrangements, foster sectoral collaboration, and encourage shared vision and planning. Leading this initiative is Makerere University's College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources, and BioSecurity (CoVAB) led by Clovice Kankya.
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