Why One Health?
- Worldwide, nearly 75 percent of all emerging human infectious diseases in the past three decades originated in animals.
- Environmental health may affect human and animal health through contamination, pollution and poor conditions that may lead to new infectious agents.
- The world population is projected to grow from 7 billion in 2011 to 9 billion by 2050.
- To provide adequate healthcare, food and water for the growing global population, the health professions, and their related disciplines and institutions, must work together.
- The human-animal bond beneficially impacts the health of both people and animals.
Definition of One Health
- One Health is the collaborative effort of multiple health science professions, together with their related disciplines and institutions – working locally, nationally, and globally – to attain optimal health for people, domestic animals, wildlife, plants, and our environment.
Scope of One Health
- Convergence of human, animal, and plant health and the health of the environment
- Human-animal bond
- Professional education and training
- Research, both basic and translational
- Ensuring a safe food and water supply that is high quality, available and affordable
- Agricultural production and land use
- Natural resources and conservation
- Disease surveillance, prevention and response, both infectious and chronic diseases
- Commonality of diseases among people and animals, such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes
- Clinical medicine demand for interrelationship between the health professions
- Environmental agent detection and response
- Disaster preparedness and response
- Public policy and regulation
- Global trade and commerce
- Communications and outreach
Potential Outcomes from the One Health Approach
- More interdisciplinary programs in education, training, research, and established policy
- More information sharing related to disease detection and diagnosis as well as education and research
- More prevention of diseases, both infectious and chronic diseases
- New therapies and approaches to treatment for unmet needs
