Stakeholder contribution to one health preparedness and operationalization for rift valley fever outbreaks in Baringo County, Kenya: the one health scorecard approach

Abstract Background Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a climate-sensitive mosquito-borne zoonotic disease with the potential to cause major economic losses due to its high morbidity and mortality rate in domestic animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, and camels. Disease outbreaks are closely associated with climate-driven ecosystem changes that modify interfaces between animals, humans, and the ecosystem. This study assessed Baringo County, an administrative county in the Rift Valley region of Kenya, to determine its preparedness to implement the One-Health Approach (OHA) to combat Rift Valley Fever. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to interview 31 officers from One Health-related government departments in Baringo County. A structured questionnaire based on a One-Health (OH) scorecard system was used to interrogate four components of One-Health. These included capacity, intervention science, risk management, and impact. A binary characterization of the responses was used to assign affirmative responses corresponding to good intervention practices a value of 1 and negative responses a value of zero. Chi-square tests of association were used to determine whether or not a relationship exists between existing intervention practices and OHA preparedness. Results The study established that Baringo County lacked a structured governance system for operationalizing OHA activities. This was characterized by poor organizational culture and insufficient resource allocation. There was no coordinated implementation of interventions between the different sectors, no implementation research to assess the efficiency of interventions, and no systems analysis within OHA interfaces. The County was, therefore, not resilient to environmental drivers of RVF and had weak risk mitigation strategies in the three One-Health interfaces that include animal, human, and ecosystems. RVF risk potential was determined to be highest in the previous RVF hotspots, where its impact was severe. Conclusion Baringo County lacks the preparedness for operationalizing the OHA in controlling RVF outbreaks. Based on these findings, the paper recommends: (1) The establishment of a County One-Health Unit comprising interdisciplinary experts from relevant sectors, (2) Capacity building to enhance OHA preparedness, (3) A continuous systems analysis to identify vulnerabilities and changes in the three One Health interfaces and (4) Integrated multisectoral planning and intervention against RVF threat.