Infectious disease is a significant health burden on human and livestock health across West Africa. Over 60% of all recognised human infections are zoonoses, and while some of these infections such as Ebola are well-documented, the significance of endemic neglected zoonoses, including Q fever and Brucellosis are largely ignored. Endemic zoonoses often remain undiagnosed in people, instead being mistaken for febrile diseases such as malaria.
The knowledge of circulating livestock zoonoses in West Africa nearly non-existent, and their impact on human and animals reproductive health in West Africa remains poorly defined. Only through the improvement in our knowledge of circulating zoonoses can sustainable systems of disease control (and therefore reduced human exposure) be developed. The impact control/elimination is possible only through interventions that extensively target animal reservoirs accompanied by public engagement and information. This underscores the need for collaborations and partnerships between stakeholder groups.
The target audience is a mixture of researchers and stakeholder groups who have an interest in reproductive health and welfare of humans and livestock in West Africa. These groups include basic scientists and epidemiologists interested in pathogenesis and transmission of reproductive pathogens; clinicians and public health workers working in maternal and neonatal health; and veterinarians and farming groups who wish to understand the causes of reproductive failure of livestock.
