One Health; the concept dates back to Hippocrates (460BCE – 370BCE) who proposed “Public health depends upon the clean environment”. The current form of One Health movement has emerged in an unprecedented response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza, a pandemic zoonotic disease. Later on in April 7, 2003, One Health was mentioned in a Washington Post story on Ebola haemorrhagic fever wherein it was mentioned that “Human, Livestock or Wildlife health cannot be discussed in isolation anymore; there is just one health with solutions requiring everyone working together on all the different levels”. Later on American Medical Association (AMA) and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) unanimously adopted the One Health resolution in 2007 and 2008, respectively. It was followed by constitution of One Health Initiative Task Force (OHITF) involving health professional leaders, liaisons and representatives from AMA, AVMA in 2007-2008 to put forth recommendations to advance and realize One Health Concept. Such an initiative in 2011 lead to the creation of One Health Commission with its main theme being ‘World Health Through Collaboration’. In connection, World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) work closely to promote multidisciplinary efforts to ensure food safety, prevent zoonoses and other public health threats at human-animal-ecotone. Such a joint effort of international bodies ensures ‘One World, One Health and One Medicine’.
One Health concept therefore, is aimed at collaborative efforts from multiple disciplines that work locally, nationally and/ globally to attain optimal health for all, including humans, animals and their environment. It is an approach to design and implement programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes.
Why do we need ‘One Health’ initiative
Human, livestock, wildlife and the environment in which they live are closely inter-related. Most of the microbes can infect animals and humans and are present in the same environment. It can be inferred from:
• 60% of the existing human infectious diseases are zoonotic.
• About 80% of agents with potential bioterrorist use are zoonotic pathogens.
• Atleast 75% of the emerging human infectious diseases like Ebola, HIV, Influenza, etc. have an animal origin.
• Every year 5 new human diseases arise, of which 3 are from animal origin. (http://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/onehealth/; www.cdc.gov/onehealth).
• Wildlife is encroached and close association between man and animal is growing, therefore, the chances of disease transmission increase by each passing day with currently very limited known knowledge of infectious sources therein.
The Medical and Veterinary fraternities are therefore, more closely related than can be said. Wildlife experts and their correlation with the general vets and physicians need extensive collaborative research activities to control such diseases.
Antibiotic resistance is currently another big problem being faced both in medical as well as veterinary profession. Joint efforts including administrative and legislative roles in addition to the professional conduct of Medical and Veterinary fraternities is one of the important aspects to combat such a menace.
Population explosion: World population is expected to grow from a current 7.7 billion to 9.6 billion in 2050. In order to provide adequate healthcare, food and water for such a growing population, environmental health experts play an important role. The role played in disease surveillance; its prevention and control through food safety and sanitation of water and air are important pillars to one health concept.
Aims of One Health Initiative:
Initiatives are taken to provide the platform for joint efforts to sensitize and converge stakeholders to discuss the development of One-Health Science. Such initiatives are aimed at:
• Engaging policymakers, professionals and industries in a multi-stakeholder discussion to adopt One-Health solutions.
• Convergence of human, animal and plant health, and the health of environment.
• Developing better and safer medicines for zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases.
• Focussing the attention on growing problem of antimicrobial resistance and practices around use of antibiotics in human and animal health.
• Maintaining the check points in food chain, providing superior food safety norms and practices.
• Bridging the gap between evidence based research and health policies.
• Showcase new innovations and technologies by the industry, research organizations, community groups, individuals etc.,
• Disaster preparedness and response
(http://www.sathguru.com/one-health/; Onehealthcommission.org)
Possible outcomes of One Health Initiative
Interdisciplinary programmes in education, training, research and their policies. Common platform and thus, more joint work to impart education, conduct research and share information in relation to disease occurrence, diagnosis and treatment.
New therapies and approaches to the treatment for unmet demands.
Early responsive steps well ahead of any kind of disaster.
In order to achieve the goal of this initiative, we the stake holders from different backgrounds hold important responsibilities. The responsibilities may not necessarily mean professional but social as well. To realise this dream and make all the stake holders on board, Nov 3 of every year from 2016 onwards is being celebrated as One Health Day. It is aimed to engage as many individuals as possible from different arenas in One Health Education and also to generate the passion of projects aimed to serve the purpose.
Let’s pledge to do our bit to make the society a clean, green and disease free by keeping and establishing all the cleanliness measures.
Dr Mudasir Bashir is Assistant Professor, FVSc & AH, SKUAST-K
mbgugjoo@gmail.com