Water Wheel Sept/Oct 2026: One Health

Abstract

ONE HEALTH A study conducted by researchers at Rhodes University’s Institute for Water Research identifies rivers as active ecological reservoirs and transmission routes for waterborne zoonoses outbreaks rather than being passive conduits of contamination. Funded by the WRC, the study, titled ‘An integrated approach to timely detection and prevention of waterborne zoonoses outbreaks in selected municipalities of the Eastern Cape, South Africa’ , was led by Dr Chika Felicitas Nnadozie. She heads up the Centre for Environmental Water Quality at the university. Dr Nnadozie and her co-authors addressed a central question: Is it possible to detect outbreaks of waterborne zoonoses before clinical cases emerge? Their findings indicate that early detection is indeed feasible, provided that the water sector, health authorities, veterinary services and environmental regulators collaborate and proactively monitor river systems. The study focused on the Amathole District Municipality and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area in the Eastern Cape.

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