Design and Implementation of a One Health Surveillance Programme for Zoonotic Diseases in Ogun State

This study develops and evaluates a One Health zoonotic disease surveillance programme for Ogun State, located in Nigeria's South West geopolitical zone. One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach recognising the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health, and its operationalisation through functional surveillance systems is critical for early detection and response to zoonotic disease threats. Using a professional programme design methodology, the study identified priority zoonoses for the state through structured consultations with 40 veterinary officers, public health practitioners, and wildlife managers, followed by a gap analysis of existing surveillance capacity across the three sectors. A pilot integrated surveillance protocol incorporating syndromic reporting, serological sampling, and environmental monitoring was designed and field-tested in two local government areas. Implementation barriers including inter-sectoral communication gaps, data-sharing reluctance, and resource constraints were documented and addressed through protocol revision. The pilot collected 200 sera from cattle, poultry, and human contacts at livestock-human interfaces and demonstrated the feasibility of integrated sample collection and laboratory processing. Findings highlighted that existing disease reporting systems in Ogun State operate in parallel silos with no formal mechanism for cross-sectoral data sharing. Recommendations include the establishment of a state-level One Health coordination unit, shared electronic disease reporting platforms, and regular inter-sectoral outbreak simulation exercises. Keywords: One Health, zoonotic surveillance, Ogun State, interdisciplinary, disease reporting.