The purpose of the Vietnam Initiative on Zoonotic Infections (VIZIONs) project is to develop an

integrated approach to human and animal disease surveillance and investigate the risk of

potential disease emergence of novel zoonotic agents.  One of the key objectives of VIZIONs

is to quantify the epidemiology and burden of disease in infections among a cohort of

high-risk individuals occupationally exposed to animals; with concurrent targeted sampling

from domestic animals and wildlife. Recruitment of a longitudinal cohort with a perceived

high-risk for key species exposure has been coordinated under the direction of Oxford

University Clinical Research Unit, Global Viral and other partners. The project has been

implemented by government agencies at the provincial and district levels from the public

health and animal health sectors in Vietnam. By engaging with rural communities, VIZIONs explores perceptions

of health risks and aims to raise awareness and improve dialogue between local stakeholders and scientists about zoonotic disease transmission.