title: An assessment of the occupational and environmental health needs in seven Southeastern European and West-Central Asian countries.
abstract: Eastern European and Central Asian countries are undergoing rapid socioeconomic and political reforms. Many old industrial facilities are either abandoned, or use outdated technologies that severely impact the environment. Emerging industries have less regulation than in developed countries and environmental and occupational problems seem to be increasing. Under a US National Institutes of Health pilot grant, we developed an interdisciplinary One Health research network in Southeastern Europe and West-Central Asia to identify environmental and occupational problems. From 2012 to 2014, this GeoHealth Hub engaged 11 academic centers and 16 public health institutions in eight different countries: Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, and the United States with a goal of strengthening environmental and occupational research and training capacities. Employing face-to-face interviews and large group meetings, we conducted an evidenced-based needs and opportunities assessment focused on aquatic health, food safety, and zoonotic diseases. Comprehensive reviews of the published literature yielded priority research areas for each of the seven GeoHealth Hub countries including heavy metal and pesticide contamination, tick-borne diseases, rabies, brucellosis, and inadequate public health surveillance.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Institute for Social Research, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Alexandru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coman
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Institute for Social Research, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Răzvan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Cherecheş
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Institute for Social Research, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Marius I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Ungureanu
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Policy and Public Health, Institute for Social Research, Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Emanuela O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Marton-Vasarhelyi
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Professions, Emerging Pathogens Institute, and Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Marissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Valentine
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Professions, Emerging Pathogens Institute, and Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sabo-Attwood
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Global Health Institute, and Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. Electronic address: Gregory.gray@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Gregory C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Gray
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms; D001209:Asia, Central; D001211:Asia, Western; D004782:Environmental Health; D005060:Europe; D059022:Food Safety; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment; D016272:Occupational Health; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D015047:Zoonoses
keywords: Aquatic ecology; Food safety; One Health; Zoonoses