CA24140 - One Health zoonotic Hepevirus Network (ONWARD)

Zoonotic Hepeviruses, such as Paslahepevirus (HEV) and Rocahepevirus (RVHE) are a major health threat in Europe. Despite HEV is the main cause of viral acute hepatitis in the continent, most countries lack standard procedures since control is not supervised at either EU or governmental levels, not recognized as notifiable disease at the animal and human level. Furthermore, there is currently no common European scheme for efficient surveillance in animals and humans, harmonized molecular diagnostic protocols, or specific drugs or approved vaccines for HEV and RVHE. Consequently, the main challenge is to control the spread of zoonotic Hepeviruses to protect human health. The main objective of ONWARD is to create an interdisciplinary expert network to develop a comprehensive view of Hepevirus and its impact on human health to better manage and prevent the disease in Europe. The Action network will i) adopt a One Health approach for the comprehensive study of zoonotic Hepeviruses, ii) increase and promote HEV and RVHE virological and epidemiological data sharing, iii) promote the implementation of the screening and surveillance of zoonotic Hepeviruses, iv) foster the evaluation of clinical and therapeutic approaches, v) favour the implementation of control measures at the farm and food chain levels, and vi) establish the network as a counterpart of European health policy-makers. Because of the One Health integrative approach, the network integrates multidisciplinary experts on Hepeviruses covering the following fields: virologists, clinical microbiologists, animal health and food-safety researchers, veterinary practitioners, epidemiology and public health experts, medical doctors, and innovative tool designers.