Living Safely With Bats: Lessons in Developing and Sharing a Global One Health Educational Resource
Stephanie Martinez, Ava Sullivan, Emily Hagan, Jonathan Goley, Jonathan H. Epstein, Kevin J. Olival, Karen Saylors, Jason Euren, James Bangura, Zikankuba Sijali, Mohamed Moctar Mouliom Mouiche, Alpha Oumar Camara, James Desmond, Ariful Islam, James Hughes, Supaporn Wacharplusadee, Veasna Duong, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nga, Brian H. Bird, Tracey Goldstein, David J. Wolking, Christine K. Johnson, Jonna A. K. Mazet, Sarah H. Olson, Amanda E. Fine, Marc Valitutto, William B. Karesh, Peter Daszak, Leilani Francisco
Abstract
<h3>ABSTRACT</h3> As part of a public health behavior change and communication strategy related to the identification of a novel ebolavirus in bats in Sierra Leone in 2016, a consortium of experts launched an effort to create a widely accessible resource for community awareness and education on reducing disease risk. The resulting picture book, <i>Living Safely With Bats</i>, includes technical content developed by a consortium of experts in public health, animal health, conservation, bats, and disease ecology from 30 countries. The book has now been adapted, translated, and used in more than 20 countries in Africa and Asia. We review the processes used to integrate feedback from local stakeholders and multidisciplinary experts. We also provide recommendations for One Health and other practitioners who choose to pursue the development and evaluation of this or similar zoonotic disease risk mitigation tools.