The Director of AICS, Marco Riccardo Rusconi, and the Director General of IZS, Nicola D’Alterio, have signed a framework agreement in Teramo, formalizing collaboration between the two institutions under the One Health approach.
The three-year agreement, renewable for an additional three years, was signed this morning at the IZS headquarters in Teramo. It focuses on the “One Health: A Unified and Global Health” paradigm, recognizing that close collaboration between AICS and IZS of Abruzzo and Molise enables more effective international development cooperation interventions, promoting resilient, sustainable, and inclusive growth in low- and middle-income countries through improved human health promotion, animal health standards, and environmental protection.
The goal is to strengthen joint action between AICS and IZS Teramo through various activities, including:
- Promoting training and technical-scientific assistance to enhance the diagnostic and surveillance capabilities of infectious and parasitic animal diseases with a significant impact on trade, the economy, and human health.
- Developing epidemiological surveillance plans and predictive models, using climatic and environmental data generated by satellite observations to create early warning systems.
- Implementing surveillance programs across the entire food production chain, from production to processing, trade, and consumption.
- Supporting increased agricultural productivity in low- and middle-income countries, improving food security to reduce rural poverty.
Numerous activities will be carried out in future cooperation projects and programs, particularly in the priority countries under the “Mattei Plan with Africa.” Examples include:
- Developing information systems for pharmacovigilance and electronic prescriptions.
- Creating digital data collection platforms, including the use of AI technologies.
- Advancing genomic sequencing techniques and bioinformatics analysis.
This partnership marks a significant step toward integrating health, agriculture, and environmental sustainability, ensuring a holistic approach to global health challenges.
