Assessing One Health integration in Somalia’s school curriculum for future pandemic preparedness
Authors: Hassan-Kadle Ahmed Abdulkadir , Osman Aamir Muse , Sharif Abas Mohamed 
Published: January 2025

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a holistic health approach, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Somalia faces significant health challenges, including drought, floods, disease outbreaks, and food and feed insecurity, underscoring the importance of integrating One Health (OH) concepts into its education system. This study evaluated the inclusion of the OH concept in Somalia’s national school curriculum and textbooks and assessed teacher preparedness to deliver the content effectively. Methods: This study employed content analysis of Somalia’s school curriculum and textbooks in science, social studies (grades 1–8), and biology (grades 9–12) to assess OH integration. The survey evaluated the coverage of human, animal, and plant health; environmental issues; and key terms such as infectious diseases, zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and security, climate change, environmental health, and pandemic preparedness. Additionally, a questionnaire was used to survey 53 Somali primary and secondary teachers across disciplines to assess the integration of OH, explore inclusion strategies, and gather perspectives on challenges and approaches. Results: An analysis of the textbooks revealed that a significant majority (88.4%) of the topics lacked OH content. Of the 11.6% with OH content, 80.4% integrated concepts from environmental health (46 topics) and infectious diseases (26 topics); however, the term OH was not directly mentioned. The upper primary science materials had the highest proportion (63%) of OH content, followed by the lower primary materials (28.3%), while the secondary subject biology materials had the least amount of OH integration (8.7%). Science textbooks had the highest inclusion (60 topics), while secondary subject biology had the least (8 topics). Among the 53 Somali teachers surveyed, there was moderate awareness (47.2%) and limited implementation (24.5%) of OH concepts, despite widespread support (98.1%) for integration. Challenges such as inadequate OH training and resources (86.8%) were cited, while 96.2% emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Conclusions: Limited integration of OH in Somalia’s education system hampers preparedness for health challenges. Collaborative efforts to revise curricula can bolster resilience against pandemics and promote holistic well-being, benefitting the overall well-being of people, animals, plants, and the environment.

One Health impact statement

This study highlights the critical need to incorporate One Health concepts into Somalia’s education system to equip future generations with the knowledge and skills necessary to address interconnected health challenges facing humans, animals, plants, and the environment. The findings reveal a significant gap in the integration of One Health principles within the current curriculum, with many topics lacking relevant content. While some materials address environmental health and infectious diseases, crucial areas such as zoonosis, antimicrobial resistance, and climate change are minimally covered. Additionally, the study underscores the challenges faced by teachers, including inadequate OH training and resources, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for successful One Health implementation. By integrating One Health concepts into the education system, Somalia’s young will gain the interdisciplinary knowledge necessary to respond effectively to health emergencies and contribute to enhancing the country’s resilience against pandemics.