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Prof Lise Korsten, CoE-FS co-director and Food Safety lead, presents at the 8th World One Health Congress. Photo 8th World One Health Congress.

The DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS), flag flew high at the recently concluded 8th World One Health Congress, held firmly in hand by the CoE-FS’s co-director, Professor Lise Korsten, and her team of grantees.

The 8th World One Health Congress (#WOHC2024) took place from 20 to 23 September 2024, in Cape Town. Professor Korsten, also the CoE-FS’s Food Safety lead, served on the Congress local organising committee, and as session chair for “Science Policy Interface – Climate Adaptation, and the perspective of indigenous people”, and “Linkages between One Health and Plant Health”, the latter co-chaired with Dr Helena Dela of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana.

🔴LIVE from Auditorium 2! Join us for an exciting session the Linkages between #OneHealth and #PlantHealth 🌿 #WOCH2024 pic.twitter.com/M39EcA5hkH

— World One Health Congress (@WOHCongress) September 22, 2024

@WOHCongress session on links between #OneHealth and 🌱 health. Session co-chair @HelenaDela2 “a good planet health needs good plant health”
Plants are central pic.twitter.com/HC3KolngJk

— Julie Bremner (@wormbotherer) September 22, 2024

Professor Korsten, who is also president of the African Academy of Sciences, also provided input on panels including intervention on “Stewardship Across the Antimicrobial Life-Cycle: Implementing the UNGA Political Declaration in LMICs: A Panel Discussion”, and presenting on ‘Building One Health food safety capacity in South Africa’, during the “Food and feed security, nutrition, and One Health”, which was chaired by Dr Hung Nguyen-Viet from the International Livestock Research Institute.

Dr Hung Nguyen-Viet posted on X: “My pleasure to chair and speak at the session on Food and feed security, nutrition and One Health with collagues from WHO, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya and Brazil”. Photo @hung_cenpher/X.

Professor Korsten was then invited to present the findings and key recommendations of the Congress at the subsequent high-level discussions of the 79th United Nations Session in New York.

Professor Korsten was joined at the Congress by members of her CoE-FS Food Safety team, all grantees based at the University of Pretoria, in the Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences. Robyn Schippers, a master’s student, presented her work on the “Optimisation of a molecular-based workflow for detection of Cryptosporidium in the water-soil-plant nexus”.

At #WOHC2024 Robyn Schipper @UPTuks spotlights the #OneHealth importance of tackling Cryptosporidium, a parasite impacting humans, animals, and the environment 🌿🐄👤 The study refines DNA detection methods in water, soil, & produce, boosting #FoodSafety and health protection🔬 pic.twitter.com/jNZEY3iMrT

— World One Health Congress (@WOHCongress) September 22, 2024

Robyn Schipper from @UPTuks presents her #OneFood-funded research on Cryptosporidium at the water- plant- soil nexus in 🇿🇦 , highlighting the value of enhancing the monitoring of protozoans in the environment 👏 🌱💦 pic.twitter.com/8QpViavxiK

— Dr Flavie Vial (@EpiConnect) September 22, 2024

The recaps of each day are available via the Congress website, and LinkedIn page.