AVA Submission on the Australian CDC

The AVA has made a submission on the discussion paper of the role and functions of an Australian Centre for Disease Control.

We support an integrated and collaborative approach to health as exemplified by the One Health framework. One Health acknowledges that the health of humans, animals, plants, and the wider environment are closely linked and interdependent, requiring a trans-disciplinary, multisectoral and community-based response to health management. This means that the action in one sector has synergistic reactions in the other sectors. Recognition of this interdependence is of particular importance in mitigating risk and managing emerging and re-emerging diseases (particularly zoonotic origin), antimicrobial resistance and food security.

These risks and diseases can all be adversely impacted by disease or disruption to our ecosystem. Beyond expanding capacity for addressing emerging and re-emerging disease at the human-animal-environmental interface, One Health initiatives can also support strategies to address non-communicable disease through translational and comparative medicine approaches, such as with cancer development and aging, and sentinel surveillance for infectious disease and environmental exposure.

We also acknowledge that First Nations Australians traditional knowledge has preceded this concept of One Health and has always recognised and respected interconnectedness and the importance of stewardship. We acknowledge First Nations Australians custodianship of their traditional lands and the rights of First Nations People to their cultures, spiritual traditions, and histories without appropriation by non-Indigenous People.

Embedding One Health into the Australian CDC through equitable representation across human, animal, and environmental health sectors is essential to achieving the remit of the Australian CDC - that is to ensure ongoing pandemic preparedness, leading the federal response to future infectious disease outbreaks, and working to prevent non-communicable (chronic) and communicable (infectious) diseases.

Key Recommendations

• The CDC should embed a One Health framework throughout its platform – involvement of the animal health (veterinary) and environmental health sectors, in addition to the human health sector, is essential to the transdisciplinary approach.
• The CDC should adopt a modern risk management approach, ensuring preparedness for the worst-case scenario
• The CDC should lead to enhanced capacity rather than a net loss across its agreed functions.
• The CDC should be an independent body with stable and assured funding.
• The CDC should aim to support inter-operable data systems with a One Health framework including wildlife and companion animals.
• Scoping and expansion of the public health workforce needs to include broad disciplines, including the veterinary public health discipline.

Read the full submission here.