Process mapping the One Health response to a rabies outbreak in the Philippines

Area of Science:

• One Health
• Systems Thinking
• Disease Surveillance

Background:

• Zoonotic diseases pose a growing global health threat.
• Effective outbreak response requires tools to visualize complex networks.
• Process mapping offers a systems thinking approach for analyzing outbreak responses through a One Health lens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the utility of process mapping in a real-world rabies outbreak.
• To identify challenges and co-develop solutions for outbreak response.
• To apply a One Health lens to zoonotic disease outbreak analysis.

Main Methods:

• Stakeholder interviews to develop a provisional process map.
• Facilitated workshops with multisectoral, multilevel groups.
• Collaborative refinement of the map and co-development of solutions.

Main Results:

• Process mapping identified challenges in rabies surveillance, reporting, communication, and vaccination.
• Structural factors like geography and decentralized governance exacerbated issues.
• Weaknesses in national guidance, resource constraints, and data sharing were highlighted.

Conclusions:

• Process mapping enhances One Health surveillance and outbreak response.
• Improved guidance and exploration of political devolution's impact are needed.
• Addressing systemic challenges is crucial for achieving the global goal of zero human rabies deaths by 2030.