Assessment of One Health Programme Integration for Zoonotic Disease Surveillance in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria

The One Health approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health surveillance, is a globally endorsed strategy for managing zoonotic disease risks, yet its practical integration in Nigerian state health systems remains nascent. This study assesses the level of One Health programme integration for zoonotic disease surveillance in Plateau State, a state with intensive livestock agriculture and a history of Lassa fever and brucellosis transmission. A cross-sectional systems assessment design is applied across ten local government areas with documented zoonotic disease burden. Structured interviews with 35 key informants from the state Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Environment, along with laboratory directors and primary healthcare zoonotic disease focal persons, assess inter-sectoral coordination, joint surveillance data sharing, integrated response protocols, and joint capacity-building activities. An integration scorecard adapted from the WHO Joint External Evaluation One Health tool is applied to generate a composite integration score. Document review of interagency agreements, surveillance reports, and training registers supplements interview data. Available evidence from Nigeria's 2022 Joint External Evaluation indicates that inter-sectoral One Health coordination mechanisms are functional in fewer than eight states, with Plateau State identified as requiring strengthened human-animal surveillance linkages. The One Health Operational Framework provides the normative assessment guide. Findings will support the Plateau State government in developing a multi-sectoral One Health Strategic Plan. Keywords: One Health, zoonotic disease surveillance, inter-sectoral coordination, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria.