Capacity building for zoonosis control in China: Assessing needs and gaps by the one health lens

Background

Traditional sector-specific approaches are inadequate to effectively address zoonosis control at the human-animal-environment interface, whereas the One Health approach promotes multisectoral collaboration and integrated solutions. To apply this approach, competence enhancement is essential, yet there is insufficient understanding of China's capacity-building under the One Health framework, hindering targeted development of the workforce needed.

Objective

To assess the gaps and needs of capacity building for zoonosis control in China.

Methods

From December 2023 to April 2024, field investigations were conducted in two Chinese provinces with purposively sampled participants from various administrative sectors. Semi-structured interviews (40–60 minutes) were conducted, with a One Health Capacity Building Framework developed to guide both the design and analysis. Interview recordings were transcribed and analyzed through iterative thematic analysis. A unified codebook was developed through weekly consensus meetings, and higher-order themes were identified under expert supervision. The final themes were mapped onto the framework and visualized using a heatmap to identify the most prominent gaps and needs.

Results

In total, 77 participants were engaged, spanning the human health (44.2 %), animal health (18.2 %), environmental management (20.8 %) and multidisciplinary coordination (16.8 %) sectors. China's One Health capacity building revealed three challenges: (i) Structural fragmentation with divided responsibilities and inadequate cross-sectoral governance mechanisms; (ii) Resource disparities showing severe township-level shortages and persistent funding gaps for critical projects; and (iii) Knowledge deficits including insufficient research on emerging pathogens and training programs lacking practical collaboration components. Critical needs focused on strengthening the grass-root infrastructure, sustaining One Health training programs, and enhancing problem-solving capabilities.

Conclusion

The current status and needs in capacity building for zoonosis prevention in China were identified. The results would provide evidence-based recommendations to optimize prevention and control of China's zoonotic disease and advance global health security through strengthened One Health implementation.