One Health Collaboration Helps Indonesia Reduce Risks from Priority Zoonoses
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health states that implementative cross-sector collaboration, data and policy integration, and strengthening regional capacities are the keys to the success of the One Health approach in reducing risks from priority zoonotic diseases such as avian flu, leptospirosis, anthrax, and rabies.
Head of the Bureau of Communication and Public Information of the Ministry of Health, Aji Muhawarman, said in Jakarta on Wednesday that through Coordinating Ministerial Regulation No. 7 of 2022, Indonesia has established a national framework to guide the control of zoonoses and emerging infectious diseases based on cross-ministerial coordination.
That policy, he said, responds to several specific challenges in implementing One Health in an archipelagic country like Indonesia, such as geographical fragmentation, the complexity of cross-sector coordination, high inter-island mobility of humans and animals, high human-animal interactions in several regions, and systemic issues.
“Indonesia itself is a zoonosis hotspot in Southeast Asia because it has more than 200 identified types of zoonoses, high biodiversity and many wild animal reservoirs, as well as very intense human-animal-environment interactions,” he stated.
Therefore, the role of the public in One Health is also very significant, he said. Without community involvement, systems that are already good at the policy level are often ineffective in the field.
“The key lies in community-based surveillance (CBS), which is the involvement of citizens in detecting and reporting health events early,” said Aji.
According to him, community-based surveillance can accelerate detection, expand the system’s reach, thereby reducing the risk of zoonotic outbreaks.
Previously, on World Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted Indonesia’s progress in reducing health risks from zoonotic diseases through strengthening the One Health approach. One Health recognises that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are closely interconnected and must be addressed together.
“Zoonotic diseases affect more than two billion people and claim more than two million lives every year. As the world’s largest archipelagic country, Indonesia faces increased zoonosis risks related to climate-related disasters, environmental changes, and close interactions between humans, animals, and nature,” said Paranietharan.
Indonesia’s One Health efforts focus on priority zoonotic diseases such as avian flu, leptospirosis, anthrax, and rabies. Indonesia’s experience reflects a higher regional and global attention to One Health, as countries face increasing health impacts from climate change, environmental disruptions, and emerging infectious diseases.
“These shared challenges highlight the need for science-based collaborations that connect local actions with regional and global solutions,” he said.