Development and Implementation of a One Health Point of Entry Checklist in Iraq and Jordan

Points of entry (POEs) serve as critical hubs in national security efforts, facilitating trade and travel while mitigating threats such as transboundary zoonotic diseases. Given the multisectoral nature of One Health (OH) challenges at POEs, there is a need for a systematic tool to assess preparedness and response capabilities. Existing evaluation frameworks, such as the International Health Regulations (IHR) Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and the World Organisation for Animal Health Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway, lack comprehensive OH-specific guidance tailored to POEs.

To address this gap, we developed and piloted an OH POE Checklist, an assessment tool designed to evaluate human, animal and environmental health capacities at land border crossings and international airports. Collaborating with stakeholders from Iraq and Jordan, we conducted pilot assessments of the checklist at the Trebil, Karameh and Jaber land border points as well as at Baghdad International and Queen Alia International airports.

The Checklist, structured under the Prevent, Detect, Respond and Evaluate framework, was mapped against existing health security evaluation tools, demonstrating 68% alignment (100/148 indicators) across key indicators from State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting, Joint External Evaluation, PVS and IHR POE Annex. Recommendations from these pilots highlighted the need to add questions on methods of international communication between border officials and create a version suitable for mobile-phone completion. Additionally, the pilot highlighted the need to incorporate a secondary evaluation by national and local authorities and broaden the scope to encompass deliberate event competencies.

This study outlines the development, implementation and refinement of the OH POE Checklist, contributing to the integration of OH principles into border security and public health preparedness.