North Africa & Sahel Regional Workshop
Hosted by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, the Maghreb & Sahel regional workshop was held from November 17th to 21st, 2025. Organized in collaboration with the project's coordination team from Institut Pasteur, the implementing European consortium members, and Senegal's national focal points, this meeting brought together more than 70 participants from different disciplines and sectors, representative of the 8 countries of the region: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, and Tunisia.
The main objective of this regional workshop was to offer intersectoral and cross-country networking opportunities to encourage new collaborations while consolidating existing connections and, most importantly, to advocate the One Health approach for early warning and preparedness of vector-borne diseases.
Thanks to the support and cooperation of the hosting country, represented by the One Health coordinator at the Senegalese Prime Ministry; the hosting institution, represented by its General Administrator; and the European Union Embassy in Senegal, the official opening highlighted the impact of the OneHealthSecure project in the region and the importance of sustaining this well-established One Health network.
Due to the epidemiological situation in Senegal, which faced arboviral outbreaks, this meeting had a special focus on Rift Valley Fever. A round table gathered Senegalese and Mauritanian experts from different sectors (human, animal, and entomology) to discuss the current epidemic situation following the One Health approach.
Training Sessions
The following day, all participants attended their dedicated training sessions according to their expertise:
Quality Management and Biosafety Processes for Diagnostic Laboratories
Among the challenges faced by diagnostic laboratories, it is essential to provide reliable and confirmed diagnoses as quickly as possible while handling potentially dangerous samples in the safest way for laboratory staff.
This session covered the fundamentals of quality management in diagnostic laboratories, including awareness of ISO 15189-type norms and standards. Participants also reviewed biosafety standards for laboratories handling pathogenic microbes—standards necessary for maintaining a safe working environment.
The training was intended for laboratory managers responsible for biosafety and quality management in human and animal virology laboratories.
Risk Surveillance and Assessment According to the "One Health" Approach
Participants from veterinary and public health services worked together to explore key topics in applied epidemiology, including the organization and functioning of surveillance systems and the assessment of risks associated with vector-borne diseases.
The training adopted an integrated and intersectoral approach to strengthen collaboration between the two fields and promote a common understanding of shared health challenges, in line with One Health principles. The workshop included both lectures and practical group activities.
Sessions on Biodiversity Monitoring Protocols
Designed for participants with expertise in medical entomology and environmental sciences, this series of sessions provided participants with practical and theoretical tools to design, adapt, and implement standardized biodiversity monitoring protocols for wild vertebrate fauna.
Emphasis was placed on harmonization, field applicability, and data integration into national and international networks.
Communication Principles Session
A plenary session was organized on communication principles, featuring an introductory presentation followed by group exercises. Working through a joint exercise, participants learned how to tailor their messages to target audiences. The objective of this workshop was to enhance understanding of communicators' expectations and to strengthen relationships between scientific and communication experts.
Multisectoral Field Activity
To demonstrate the added value of integrated surveillance based on the One Health approach for the prevention of vector-borne diseases, a multisectoral field activity was organized at the Mbao site.
Four small groups of participants rotated among four demonstration stations:
- Live demonstration of bird capture and health monitoring (measurement, weighing, blood sampling). Birds were subsequently released.
- Demonstration of mosquito capture, followed by identification practice using binocular magnifying glasses.
- Demonstration of tick capture in vegetation and on a goat, followed by identification practice using binocular magnifying glasses.
- Demonstration of laboratory processing of samples collected for arbovirus research on the field.
At the end of the day, participants from different disciplines observed their colleagues' field work, gaining a deeper understanding of each profession's specific challenges and objectives. This hands-on experience made the integrated surveillance approach more concrete and reinforced the advocacy for One Health principles.
Gala Dinner
To celebrate the successful completion of this regional workshop, a gala dinner was held close to the see at Dakar. The evening provided participants with valuable networking time and an opportunity to strengthen professional connections.
In this collaborative setting, participants exchanged experiences and insights, reinforcing the interdisciplinary relationships that are essential to advancing the One Health initiative in the region.
