The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region is affected by diverse health threats at the human-animal-environment interface including zoonotic disease, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and security, and vector-borne diseases. Bahrain, a high-income country from the region, has a well-established healthcare system, and is working towards addressing emerging health threats through collective and coordinated action between sectors as advocated for by the One Health approach. Established in 2021, the WHO Country Office in Bahrain, identified One Health initiatives in line with national priorities. Different ministries and key authorities in the country had informal channels of collaboration, as was reflected in WHO assessments for One Health collaborative efforts. In 2022, WHO provided technical support to Bahrain to conduct a national bridging workshop which formally brought human health, animal health and environmental authorities together. The workshop is testament to Bahrain’s commitment to the One Health approach, which is evident in the country’s strategies for early detection, verification, assessment, and communication of public health threats, making the country more resilient and better prepared for evolving health emergencies.

How did Bahrain, with the support of the WHO Secretariat, achieve this?

Several global and regional initiatives have been put in place to address threats for One Health issues including vector control, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), emerging and epidemic-prone diseases, food safety, and climate change, but plans have mostly been implemented through vertical programmes at the country level. While progress has been made, achieving all global and regional targets presents a challenge. The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was a global wake-up call to the urgent need for a paradigm shift. At the global level in March 2022, the Quadripartite alliance for One Health, comprising the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WHO, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) launched the One Health joint plan of action for 2022 to 2026 through consultations with Member States and created the One Health High Level Expert Panel. At the regional level the One Health approach was highlighted within a 2021 plan of action for the Eastern Mediterranean that was endorsed in the 68th session of WHO Regional Committee to end the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent and control future health emergencies. In 2020, Bahrain saw the establishment of the National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19), which consisted of multisectoral experts and specialists collaborating to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy. In September 2022, the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean drafted a resolution based on the 2022-2026 global joint plan of action that aims to advance the implementation of One Health activities in the Region. By this stage, Bahrain’s preparedness in tackling COVID-19 during the pandemic had successfully strengthened the country’s response, developed national capacities, and guided a way forward in developing a One Health coordination committee.

“The relevance of crossing animal-human-environment borders is applicable today more than ever. Bringing forward the lessons learned and best practices from COVID-19 response, while recognizing the immense value of an integrated One Health approach to public health, animal health and the environment, together can strengthen capacities for prevention and preparedness of future pandemics”

– Dr Tasnim Atatrah, WHO Representative in Bahrain

Bahrain’s One Health coordination gaps had been identified in a series of assessments including a 2008 Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Evaluation [1], 2016 WHO Joint External Evaluation (JEE), and annual reporting using WHO’s State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting tooll (SPAR). While these assessments fed into national commitments such as Bahrain’s national action plan on AMR in the past, they had not previously led to structural changes in governance. In 2022, the One Health national bridging workshop was led by the Supreme Council of Health and the Ministry of Health and coordinated by the WHO country office in Bahrain. It invited experts from across the human-animal-environment interface in the country to take part in interactive approaches to developing understandings of frameworks, tools, and guidance across institutions and systems to prevent, detect and control diseases and strengthen capacities for the early detection of health threats. An outcome of the workshop is the development of a road map for strategic interventions to strengthen preparedness to health emergencies and advance health security and the proposed establishment of a One Health coordination committee. At the national level, WHO Bahrain is now working to further elevate collaboration by bringing different sectors together for a risk communications training that aims to identify, address, and unify national messaging approaches and develop national capacities across sectors. WHO Bahrain has also conducted a pilot training to build capacity for a unified all-hazards One Health approach to event-based surveillance within the Ministry of Health. WHO Bahrain with national counterparts, participated in an EMRO meeting on Strengthening Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Systems. At the global level, WHO Bahrain with national counterparts, have begun to participate WHO’s global Epidemic Intelligence from Open SourcesEpidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) initiative that aims to optimise cross-border sharing of information for the early detection, verification, assessment, and communication of public health threats.