Examples of veterinary public health interventions include:

• Mass vaccination of dogs and dog population management for rabies
• Proactive tethering of dogs to prevent contamination of the environment for dracunculiasis
• Periodic deworming of dogs with praziquantel; safe disposal of offal during slaughtering; vaccination of sheep and culling of aged sheep for cystic echinococcosis
• Periodic deworming of dogs with praziquantel and, where feasible, anthelminthic baiting of foxes for alveolar echinococcosis
• Improved pig husbandry, pig vaccination and anthelminthic treatment of pigs with oxfendazole for taeniasis and cysticercosis
• Treatment of livestock and other domestic animals, and keeping them away from transmission sites for foodborne trematodiases and schistosomiasis
• Treatment of animals (cattle, pigs) and restricted application of insecticides for human African trypanosomiasis
• Rodent control for cutaneous leishmaniasis and dog vaccination for visceral leishmaniasis (still under evaluation)

Control of neglected zoonotic diseases calls for integrated interventions among human and animal health, and other relevant sectors. WHO approaches to reducing their impact on people’s health and livelihoods include:

• Assessing local, regional and global societal burdens and the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of intervention strategies;
• Improving collaboration and raising awareness among governments, organizations and the wider stakeholder community engaged at the human–animal–ecosystems interface;
• Compiling evidence for the validation of tools and developing guidance for surveillance, prevention, control and treatment of specific diseases;
• Assisting countries in building and strengthening their capacity to apply and contextualize tools and implement integrated cost-effective strategies for prevention, control and treatment;
• Establishing or strengthening mechanisms for the exchange of information across relevant sectors and programmes in countries, in particular to bridge the gap between agriculture and health;
• Using evidence-based advocacy to leverage commitment and increase investments in prevention and control activities, capacity strengthening and applied research.
  

The WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases has identified priority neglected zoonotic diseases as rabies, taeniasis/cysticercosis, echinococcosis and foodborne trematodiases. Other areas of work will be considered as they emerge and based on need.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), known as the Tripartite, are working together to promote cross-sectoral collaboration to address risks from zoonoses and other public health threats that exist or emerge at the human-animal-ecosystems interface.

The Regional Tripartite in Asia and the Pacific region, has jointly developed a series of resources to promote multisectoral collaboration targeting public health practitioners, food safety and veterinary authorities, and other practitioners in Asia and the Pacific region, but the information is relevant in many other regions where these neglected zoonoses are present.