A one health approach from Cyprus: a framework for EU public health preparedness and resilience

Abstract Issue/problem Cyprus, an EU member state at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, faces elevated risks from cross-border health threats. Despite managing COVID-19 relatively well, national surveillance systems revealed gaps, primarily in digital infrastructure and cross-sector coordination. Emerging risks such as zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and vector-borne diseases along with the escalating impacts of climate change require unified, real-time response actions. Description of the problem The EU-funded CY-ESM project addresses these challenges by developing a digital One Health approach integrating human, animal, and environmental data. The project is building centralized, interoperable infrastructure to enable timely surveillance and action. Planned components include system architecture, dashboards, mobile apps for entomological and respiratory disease monitoring, and piloting tools in veterinary labs. A new national entomology lab will be supported, and notifiable disease coverage expanded. Key questions include: How can digital tools enhance multi-sector surveillance? What infrastructure is required for system resilience? Results Though under implementation, expected outputs include 450-500 traps nationwide for Aedes species, targeted mosquito collection at entry points, and molecular testing for arboviruses like Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, and West Nile. A mobile app will help field staff geolocate breeding sites, collect structured data, and send automated reports to authorities. The system will digitize detection of 26 priority zoonoses monitored by veterinary services and align with EU/ECDC standards to support disease integration, analytics, and early warning. Lessons CY-ESM shows how digital innovation can address fragmented surveillance via a One Health model. It's a cross-sector approach serves as a transferable framework for other EU countries seeking to modernize surveillance and strengthen preparedness. Key messages • Digital One Health approach support timely, cross-sector surveillance, improving national and EU-level response to emerging public health threats. • CY-ESM provides a scalable model for modernizing surveillance infrastructure and enhancing preparedness across EU member states.