Over the last five years, USAID’s Emerging Pandemic Threats program has collaborated with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Dong Nai Province to identify and mitigate infectious disease threats that arise in animal populations and can spillover to humans. Dong Nai Province has about 1,000 wildlife farms, which poses significant risks of spillover. With USAID support, WCS trained animal health staff in surveillance and laboratory identification of viral threats, and worked with communities and wildlife farmers to reduce exposure risks. WCS also developed tools for predicting the risk of viral spillover, protocols, and training to standardize and increase national capacity in high-quality laboratory testing.

So What? By providing critical capacity development to animal health workers, forest protection officers, and laboratory staff in identifying disease risks before they spread, USAID support has helped reduce serious infectious disease threats to people in Vietnam and beyond.