03157nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260003700042653005700079653004900136653002100185100001400206700002100220700001500241700001300256700001600269700001300285700001300298700001700311700001600328245012300344856009800467300001300565490000700578520228000585022001402865       2021                            d  bPublic Library of Science (PLoS)10aGeneral Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10aGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences10aGeneral Medicine1 aMersha TT1 aMekonnen Wolde B1 aShumuye NA1 aHailu AB1 aMohammed AH1 aRedda YT1 aAbera BH1 aMenghistu HT1 aSimuunza MC00aPrioritization of neglected tropical zoonotic diseases: A one health perspective from Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia  uhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0254071&type=printable  ae02540710 v163 a<jats:p>Neglected tropical zoonotic diseases (NTZDs) continue to have a major effect on the health of humans and animals. In this study, a one health approach was used to prioritize and rank neglected tropical zoonotic diseases at the regional and zonal levels in Tigray National Regional State, Ethiopia. For prioritization of NTZDs a cross-sectional study through a structured questionnaire was administered to 313 health experts from human and animal health sectors. In addition, focus group discussions (FGD) were held with purposively selected key informants. Descriptive, and Multivariable analysis was applied to report the results and a ranked list of diseases was developed at the zonal and regional level. In the region, 8 of the 12 World Health Organization listed NTZDs were considered major diseases including anthrax, brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, taeniasis, leishmaniasis, rabies, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminths. Considering the zoonotic and socioeconomic importance of the diseases at the regional level, rabies ranked 1<jats:sup>st</jats:sup>whereas anthrax, bovine tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, and brucellosis were ranked from 2<jats:sup>nd</jats:sup> to 5<jats:sup>th</jats:sup>, respectively. The FGD result also supported the prioritization result. The Multivariable analysis showed a statistically significant difference in the zonal distribution of anthrax (р = 0.009, OR = 1.16), taeniasis (p&lt;0.001, OR = 0.82), leishmaniasis (p&lt;0.001, OR = 1.91), rabies (p = 0.020, OR = 0.79) and soil-transmitted helminths (p = 0.007, OR = 0.87) but not for brucellosis (p = 0.585), bovine tuberculosis (p = 0.505), and schistosomiasis (p = 0.421). Anthrax (p&lt;0.001, OR = 26.68), brucellosis (p&lt;0.001, OR = 13.18), and taeniasis (p&lt;0.001, OR = 6.17) were considered as the major zoonotic diseases by veterinary practitioners than human health practitioners whereas, leishmaniasis was recognized as a major health challenge by human health professionals. Understanding the priority diseases in the region is supportive for informed decision-making and prioritizes the limited resources to use. Furthermore, strengthening the collaboration between human and animal health professions is important to control the diseases.</jats:p>  a1932-6203