Training on Disease Prevention, Detection, Response and Recovery for Protected Area Managers in Vietnam

Save Vietnam's Wildlife
Published: 14 November 2022
Last edited: 14 November 2022
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Summary

In September 2022 a training was held in Vietnam’s Cúc Phương National Park on the recently developed IUCN guidance on Prevention, Detection, Response and Recovery from Disease Risks in Protected and Conserved Areas and accompanying One Health Principles for Sustainable Tourism. The training was designed for professionals, wildlife handlers and park rangers to introduce the One Health concept, IUCN guidance, sampling, human safety, risk assessment, biosafety, personal protective equipment (PPE), and biohazard waste disposal. Forty participants from Cát Tiên, Pù Mát and Cúc Phương National Parks took part in the two-day training. The field experience and expertise of the training team and adaptation to the relevant context ensured practical application of the guidance. Sessions such as the ‘Glo Germ’ test, demonstrating the importance of proper PPE donning and doffing and handwashing procedures, helped make the training interactive and reinforce key concepts.

Classifications

Region
Southeast Asia
Scale of implementation
National
Subnational
Ecosystem
Forest ecosystems
Tropical evergreen forest
Theme
Biodiversity mainstreaming
Health and human wellbeing
Land management
One Health
Protected and conserved areas governance
Protected and conserved areas management planning
Science and research
Species management
Waste management
Species Conservation and One Health Interventions
Wildlife Health Surveillance (to capture biodiversity, health, disease, and pathogen surveillance)
Vaccines
Species Disease Early warning systems
Species Conservation Translocations
Species Conservation Planning
Risk communication, community engagement and behaviour change
Risk assessment
Outbreak investigation and access to laboratory
One Health coordination mechanism
One Health
Animal health
Biodiversity-health nexus
Good governance of landscapes
Health related aspects of socio-economic factors such as poverty, education, social security structures, digitalisation, financing systems, human capacity development 
Neglected tropical diseases, emerging infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance
Wildlife trade and human-wildlife conflicts
Challenges
Loss of Biodiversity
Poaching
Pollution (incl. eutrophication and litter)
Health
Sustainable development goals
SDG 3 – Good health and well-being
SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and production
SDG 15 – Life on land
Aichi targets
Target 14: Ecosystem services
Target 17: Biodiversity strategies and action plans
Target 19: Sharing information and knowledge

Location

Cúc Phương, Huyện Nho Quan, Ninh Bình, Vietnam

Impacts

Prior to the training, most participants were unfamiliar with the concept of One Health and were unaware of the zoonotic diseases carried by bats, rodents, non-human primates, and small mammals. After the presentations, they identified risks that are present in their daily work routine. Recognizing that some biosafety measures had already been implemented in their rescue centres and national parks (e.g. setting up quarantine areas, PPE stations prior to entering the animal cages, and safe distance while observing wildlife in the centre), participants saw the need to revisit existing protocols to ensure they meet the standard biosafety requirements. In addition, risk assessment scenarios allowed participants to build their practical experience in conducting risk assessments for activities at their rescue centre or national park. A pre- and post-training exam was administered to measure participants’ understanding of the theories and techniques taught over the two days, finding a marked improvement while also identifying key opportunities for further training and implementation. Members of the rescue centre and national park management staff who attended the training expressed an interest in following the IUCN guidelines in the future.

Contributed by

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Jimmy Lee Conservation Medicine

Other contributors

Tom Hughes, Lee Mei Ho, Fernandes Opook, and Velsri Sharminie
Conservation Medicine
Cadhla Firth and Catherine Machalaba
EcoHealth Alliance
Thong Pham and Thai Nguyen
Save Vietnam’s Wildlife
Nguyen Van Chinh, Dao Nguyen, Thierry Lefebvre, and Ulrika Åberg
IUCN