PSSP of LPPM IPB Organized Half-day Seminar on the Utilization of Wild Animals as Surveillance Tools for Monitoring Naturally Human Health Hazards

Primate Research Center (PSSP), of the Institute for Research and Community Service, of Bogor Agricultural University (LPPM IPB), organized the Half Day Seminar on "The Utilization Wild Animals as Surveillance for Monitoring the Threat of Pandemic of Future Disease", on Thursday, at 5 April 2018, at Campus IPB Dramaga.

Resource persons invited for the event were, Alice Latinne, PhD from Ecohealth Alliance New York, as Country Liaison for Indonesia and Thailand, for the Predict Global Consortium; Dr. drh. Joko Pamungkas, MSc, Researcher of PSSP of  LPPM IPB,  who is also the National Coordinator for Predict-Indonesia; and Lulu Agustina, SP, MSi, the Director of the Sub Directorate of Biosafety Directorate of Biodiversity Conservation, Directorate General of Natural Resources Conservation and Ecosystem, Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

Dr. Alice in his seminar introduced the Predict Global Consortium which is part of the International Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT), which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project has been established to assist governments of the cooperated countries to prevent, detect and respond to possible outbreaks of new infectious diseases transmitted by wildlife to humans. For the global level, the project is played by the Predict-Global Consortium comprising University of California at Davis (UCD), EcoHealth Alliance (EHA), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Metabiota and Smithsonian Institution. To execute the project, the Predict-Global cooperates with Asian and African countries, and so far there are currently about 35 countries involved. Dr. Alice mentions more than 70 percent of new infectious diseases (emerging infectious diseases) are sourced from animals with the majority coming from wild animals. While the swine flu outbreak is the latest example, a host of infectious and deadly diseases have hopped from animals to humans and from humans to animals. "In the last hundred years, several pandemic diseases that have been reportedly allegedly caused by several viruses that originated from wildlife include influenza, HIV-AIDS, Coronavirus (SARS and MERS-Cov), Ebola and Zika," Alice said.

The transmission of an infectious agent from an animal to a human being initiates a series of events that constitute the pathogenesis of the infection. Targets at risk for the spread of diseases from animals to humans include in areas of animal markets, animal husbandry, and places of tourist attractions that involve animals. While the animal species include  primate, bats and rats. In the Predict-1 period, from 2009 to 2014, have detected 1002 viruses at global levels in wildlife and humans, more than 80 percent are novel viruses.

While in Indonesia, the Predict-2 project for 2014-2019, it has been a joint collaboration between PSSP of LPPM IPB, Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute (EIMB),and  the Predict-Global partners are EcoHealth Alliance and Metabiota. Predict-2 Indonesia seeks to establish an early warning system to prevent potential threats of zoonotic diseases through partnerships with scientific and government institutions, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and close cooperation with other partners universities and local hospitals.

Dr.drh. Joko Pamungkas, MSc, senior researcher of the Primate Research Center of LPPM IPB who is also the national coordinator of Predict-Indonesia said that increased contact between wildlife and humans, due to wildlife trade and rapid ecological changes, is greater than human exposure to new pathogens and known pathogens. "The development of zoonotic early warning systems and collaboration between government agencies and research and academic institutions is urgently needed to better serve and protect communities. The threat of the emergence of pandemic diseases is facilitated by the interaction of wildlife, pets, and humans (human-animal interface), "said Dr. Joko.

In an effort to identify and respond to new zoonotic diseases before they spread to humans, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) established its Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) program. The EPT program consists of four projects: PREDICT, RESPOND, IDENTIFY, and PREVENT. The PREDICT project seeks to identify new emerging infectious diseases that could become a threat to human health. Predict-Indonesia implements field and laboratory activities to enable early detection and characterization of wildlife viruses that potentially infect humans and farm animals. Predict-Indonesia also conducts human behaviour studies to identify and measure risky human behaviours and practices with the potential for disease transmission, to identify the most effective risk mitigation measures.

He said the core of health can’t be handled by a single discipline, can’t be handled by one government sector, but must work together on different levels, both at the sub-national, national and international levels. This is known as the One Health or One Health approach or concept. 'One Health' is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes.

Learning from HIV-AIDS and some other diseases, findings or outbreaks were first reported in humans, but later proved the role of wildlife as a source of their inherited virus. Over time, some animals become long-term hosts, and often no longer become sickened by the germs. When a virus commonly lives inside an animal without harming it, that host is called a reservoir. The Predict project seeks to identify new emerging infectious diseases that could become a threat to human health. Predict partners locate their research in geographic "hotspots" and focus on wildlife that are most likely to carry zoonotic diseases – animals such as bats, rodents, and nonhuman primates.

Predict-Indonesia team led by Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute has also conducted surveillance on humans by involving cooperation with local hospitals and clinics in Minahasa to see possible cases of diseases due to local community interactions with wildlife.

Head of Primate Research Center of LPPM IPB, Drh. Huda S. Darusman, PhD, in his opening remarks encouraged the participants for the Half Day Seminar who were from various organizations and institutions: WWF Ujung Kulon, Biology Research Center of Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences IPB, Center for Veterinary Research , Veswick NGO Medan, Tanjung Priok Agriculture Quarantine Center, PT. Bikes Indomedical, Taman Safari Indonesia, Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute, SPs-IPB Primatology Program, PT Bogor Life Science and Technology, and USAID-Indonesia,  to utilize the meeting as a vehicle to establish cooperation among them. It is in line with the spirit of “One Health”, in promoting cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary, cross-stakeholder and cross-regional cooperation. (Wied)