Recent public health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, repeated zoonotic outbreaks, and rising antimicrobial resistance, have highlighted the urgent need for strong multisectoral field epidemiology capacities. This underscores the importance of developing a workforce equipped with One Health competencies to address health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. To meet this need, WHO collaborates with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as part of the Quadripartite Alliance for One Health, strengthening field epidemiology training programmes through an integrated One Health approach.
These initiatives align with WHO SEARO’s Strategic Framework for Action for Strengthening Surveillance, Risk Assessment, and Field Epidemiology, and the Regional Roadmap to Advance Field Epidemiology Capacities 2025–2029. The frameworks emphasize workforce development, multisectoral collaboration, and improved preparedness for health emergencies. With funding from the Pandemic Fund, the Competency for One Health Field Epidemiology (COHFE) has been integrated into Field Epidemiology Training Programmes (FETPs) in Bangladesh and India, with plans for implementation in Sri Lanka.
In Bangladesh, COHFE is being adapted to strengthen the Advanced Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP-B). Initiated in July 2025 and led by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), the programme brings together stakeholders from human, animal, and environmental health sectors, academia, and laboratories. A Multisectoral Working Group (MWG) guides implementation, conducts readiness assessments, and identifies opportunities to institutionalize One Health collaboration. Through national consultations and a competency prioritization workshop, stakeholders identified key technical competencies for surveillance, outbreak investigation, data analysis, and risk assessment, alongside functional competencies in leadership, coordination, and laboratory–epidemiology integration. Systemic barriers such as limited joint investigations and data-sharing challenges were also addressed, guiding curriculum revisions, One Health simulations, joint field exercises, and the development of a national multisectoral mentorship pool.
In India, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has advanced One Health workforce development through its SectorConnect initiative. WHO supported a comprehensive review to align the Field Epidemiology Programme in One Health (FEP-OH) with all 14 COHFE domains. The review identified strengths and generated recommendations to expand joint field-based learning, strengthen competency-based assessment, and refine the curriculum. These improvements are informing phased scale-up of the programme across additional states.
Through these coordinated efforts, WHO SEARO aims to transition countries from separate, sector-based training to an integrated, impact-driven One Health field epidemiology workforce. This workforce is expected to enhance the region’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond effectively to complex health threats at the interface of humans, animals, and the environment.
