Integrative EcoHealth/One Health Approach for Sustainable Liver Fluke Control: The Lawa Model.

The Lawa model is a successful integrative and sustainable means of controlling opisthorchiasis in Thailand. The model integrates the EcoHealth and One Health holistic approaches with systems thinking to target the interruption of Opisthorchis viverrini transmission. Using the six principles of EcoHealth and emphasizing the three domains of One Health (human-animal-ecosystem), the program targets each step of the parasite life cycle, thus maximizing the chances of interrupting the life cycle of the parasite. The main drivers of success are the village health volunteers and health-promoting hospitals, together with the support of the government and academia. The success of the model has led to continuous expansion, adoption nationally and internationally and application to the control of other neglected tropical diseases as well as noncommunicable diseases.