International borders present unique challenges for the surveillance of infectious disease. Border communities represent locations with vast differences in cultures and languages, governing institutions, healthcare access, and priorities for the collection and surveillance of disease data. Pathogens and the health and security risks they create do not respect geographical and political boundaries. However, the organizations responsible for the surveillance and control of these agents must function within the borders of their respective governments. One Border One Health is a binational, multidisciplinary initiative aimed at engaging partners in the US and Mexico to identify and implement methods for successful communication and collaboration to enhance health capacity and disease surveillance within the border region. The advancements of international initiatives such as OBOH will help to develop the types of multi-country networks necessary for the effective monitoring of disease patterns and risks.
Objective
The purpose of this demonstration is to describe the cross-border collaborative processes used for the development of a transparent methodology to identify and prioritize zoonotic infectious disease agents in the California-Baja California border region.