One Health Discussion at Arvamusfestival 2024

On August 9th, 2024, the One Health-Boost (OH-Boost) team from the Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMÜ) gathered together six panelists to share a discussion titled “Boosting One Health; Cross-Border Threats” at Opinion Festival (Arvamusfestival) in Paide, Estonia. This was the festival's 12th year and it attracted nearly 11,000 attendees overall.

The discussion was moderated by Prof. Alireza Fazeli (Combivet ERA Chair) at the University of Life Sciences and Coordinator of the OH-Boost Project. It hosted five experts with broad expertise in One Health including Prof. Beate Conrady from the University of Copenhagen, Prof. Arvo Viltrop (Chair of Veterinary Bio- and Population Medicine at EMÜ), a representative from Estonian Ministry of the interior (The Estonian Internal Security Service), Dr. Mari-Anne Härma from the Estonian National Health Board and Col.Lt. Dr. Anu Mill Chief of Estonian Defense Forces Healthcare Center.

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​The discussion provided insights into the One Health approach including viewpoints from the speakers and the audience. Mari-Anne Härma presented Estonia’s pandemic response and the critical role of One Health initiatives, emphasizing key challenges such as antimicrobial resistance and the importance of successful collaborations between the public and private sectors in Estonia. A representative from the Estonian Ministry of the Interior delved into the complexities of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) risk assessment and preparedness planning, while Anu Mill highlighted the vital role of military and NATO partnerships in addressing health threats in Estonia and other countries. Arvo Viltrop focused on recent zoonotic pathogens in Estonia, presenting strategies for risk mitigation. Lastly, Beate Conrady discussed the development of EU transboundary disease preparedness models and the use of computational tools to enhance disease resilience.
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The event highlighted the vital importance of developing national and cross-border health security for Estonia, and it demonstrated the clear need for a One Health approach to effectively address these threats. It reinforces the urgency for Estonia to take such threats seriously and strengthen its preparedness. This further underscores the necessity of establishing an Estonian One Health Center, which would serve as the central hub to bring together the expertise required to tackle these challenges and enhance the country's preparedness strategies.