One Health begins in the kraal

“I can’t afford for any of my animals to get sick. They mean so much to me, not just for my income, but emotionally too.” A herder from Kyamulibwa, Uganda shared during a recent workshop for our research study: Bridging gaps in zoonotic disease detection and reporting in Uganda.
 
His words remind us of what One Health is about: When animals fall ill, families lose food and income, and risks to human health also grow. This is the challenge communities regularly face and the reason why the One Health approach matters.
 
What is One Health?
 
According to the World Health Organization, One Health is a practical way of working that links human, animal and environmental health so communities, veterinarians, clinicians, researchers and policymakers can act together. As social scientists, we are passionate about actively listening to people’s lived experiences and turning those insights into collective action to improve health outcomes, with our partners across One Health sectors.
 
One Health in action
 
But what does this approach look like on the ground? Through our recent joint research study between the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team and the Medical Research Council /Uganda Virus Research Institute & London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, we’ve put the One Health approach into in practice. We’re working with communities in Kalungu District and partners across Uganda to improve early detection and reporting of zoonotic diseases.
 
Since January 2025, we’ve spoken with 133 people, including community members, livestock keepers, animal health workers, district and national officers, and ministry officials. The study included 109 interviews, four focus groups and 31 field observation notes in livestock keeping households.
 
The project culminated in September 2025, when we brought these voices together during three participatory workshops in Lwabenge, Masaka and Kampala to validate our findings and identify barriers and opportunities for improving detection and reporting in Uganda.
 
One Health in everyday life: traditional healers and flooding
 
These conversations revealed the complex realities that community members face every day. For some, animals are seen as protectors from negative energy. When a valued cow falls ill, families may turn to traditional healers first, cutting the animal’s hair, and taking it to a traditional healer who mixes the hair with herbs, and places it in the kraal to protect the herd from disease. (A kraal is a livestock enclosure, common in rural Uganda among cattle-keeping communities.)
 
In addition, during the rainy season, flooding transforms compounds into muddy terrain where mosquito bites raise infection risk for both people and livestock. These economic, emotional, spiritual and environmental factors constantly intersect, highlighting the importance of a One Health approach.
 
The butterfly effect: how small steps create big change
 
Whilst these challenges can feel heavy, our research also uncovered powerful examples of how communities are already protecting themselves. Disease outbreaks can spread quickly, but a bottom-up approach prioritising small, shared steps for timely detection and treatment can protect families, animals and livelihoods.
 
For example, we found that neighbours often help one another by caring for animals and sharing benefits such as manure or milk. In one case in Kyamulibwa, a cow returned from another home with a runny eye. It seemed minor at first, but because the herd stayed together, other cows soon showed the same signs. The keeper bought eye medicine and, with advice from a local animal health worker, treated the herd until they recovered. The outbreak was stopped in its tracks. This example demonstrates something crucial: the people closest to the problem are often best placed to spot it early and act quickly.
 
However, economic concerns remain central. Fear of financial loss, such as losing income from selling or trading animals, often discourages early reporting. To address this, participants recommended developing or strengthening livestock compensation and insurance schemes to protect livelihoods and build trust in the reporting system.
 
Community insights must come first
 
Building on this understanding, we identified that outbreak ‘first responders’ include livestock keepers, traders, butchers, animal health workers and Village and District Health Teams. These community members are at the heart of early detection, and the One Health approach should start from the kraal.
 
However, through our workshops, many of these groups told us their knowledge of zoonotic diseases is limited. For Rift Valley fever (RVF) specifically, most had only a basic understanding and asked for new or refresher training on transmission, symptoms and case management. This gap between community expertise and formal knowledge represents both a challenge and an opportunity.
 
To solve the problem, workshop participants proposed practical solutions: training in local languages and communication through community audio towers, radio, printed posters, faith events and social media. The message is clear: when people are equipped and connected, with clear guidance and reporting routes, detection can happen earlier, reporting can improve, and responses will be faster.
 
In addition to training, participants also emphasised the need for stronger coordination between the human health and animal health sectors. They recommended better use of Uganda’s Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system to ensure that information flows more efficiently across sectors, improving early warning and joint action.
 
Challenges to the One Health approach in Uganda
 
Yet delivering this training is not straightforward. One significant challenge we faced was effectively communicating the English term ‘Rift Valley Fever’, not only because it is not the first language of many community members, but also because they have little experience with the disease itself. Knowledge of zoonotic diseases varies across Uganda, as different regions face different risks and speak different languages.
 
This communication barrier could determine whether solutions can reach the people who need them most. But it also represents an opportunity to co-create materials and training rooted in community realities.
 
Looking ahead
 
The One Health approach works best when it listens to those who live it every day. When we value these voices and build real partnerships across sectors, One Health becomes a living practice that protects people, animals, and the environment.
 
By working directly with communities through our research study, we have produced community-driven recommendations for tackling RVF outbreaks in Uganda through a One Health approach.
 
These recommendations include stronger community-based surveillance, regular joint training, better diagnostic capacity, formal intersectoral One Health coordination, expanded livestock insurance and compensation schemes, as well as culturally sensitive risk communication and community engagement. Each recommendation emerged from the conversations and workshops described here, ensuring they're grounded in lived experiences.
 
The process is not over, as we are now sharing our recommendations with participants for feedback. These outline our co-created priorities for action, link outcomes to our research, and reflect the insights shared throughout this study. Ultimately, our goal is to strengthen collaboration across sectors to promote early zoonotic disease detection and reporting, advancing the vision of One Health, One World.
 
This work would not have been possible without the on-the-ground efforts of Medical Research Council /Uganda Virus Research Institute & London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit staff members Joseph Ssembatya, Edward Tumwesige, Frank Lukabwe and Patricia Nabimanya, who have been based in Kyamulibwa for years building strong community relationships. Their work reminds us that on this World One Health Day social scientists must reflect on those connections and renew our commitment to working together for healthier communities and a healthier planet.
 
This blog was written by Dr Yang Zhao, Assistant Professor at LSHTM, Dr Nambusi Kyegombe, Associate Professor at Medical Research Council /Uganda Virus Research Institute & London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit and Dr Nadine Beckmann, Associate Professor at LSHTM.

Reply