One Health is an approach calling for "the collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals and our environment", as defined by the One Health Initiative Task Force (OHITF). It developed in response to evidence of the spreading of zoonotic diseases between species and increasing awareness of "the interdependence of human and animal health and ecological change". In this viewpoint, public health is no longer seen in purely human terms. Due to a shared environment and highly conserved physiology, animals and humans not only suffer from the same zoonotic diseases but can also be treated by either structurally related or identical drugs. For this reason, special care must be taken to avoid unnecessary or over-treatment of zoonotic diseases, particularly in the context of drug resistance in infectious microbes. The One Health concept is prevalent in scientific research and highlights the close interconnection among human, animal, and environmental health, which should be examined collectively to address global health challenges effectively.
A number of organizations throughout the world support the objectives of "One Health" including the One Health Commission (OHC), One Health Initiative, One Health Platform, CDC One Health Office, Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP), and the Quadripartite Organizations. The Quadripartite Organizations are:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), The World Health Organization (WHO), The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)), and others. In particular, the One Health High Level Expert Panel, an independent advisory group to the Quadripartite Organizations, provided a comprehensive definition of One Health, whereby: "One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of humans, animals, plants and ecosystems. It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent. The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development."
History
In the 19th century, two leading physicians first noticed and discussed the relationship between human health and animal health, Rudolf Virchow and William Osler (who was Virchow's student).Osler has been credited through word of mouth in the medical community with coining the term "One Medicine" While there has been a suggestion that Olser coined the term "one medicine," there is no direct evidence to that effect.
+Comparison of integrated approach in healthOriginsConceptEnvironmental healthFrom the 1880s Sanitary Science Anthropocentric approach on environment influence on human health.One Health (legacy)Virchow and Osler (1800s) and Schwabe (1964) zoonosis Collaboration of human medicine and veterinary.One Medicine–One Health (modern)Early 2000s as response to emerging infectious diseases (SARS, MERS, Ebola) Cross-sectoral and transdisciplinary collaboration to improve health of humans, animals and ecosystems because of inter-connectedness. Recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. Incorporates components of food safety, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental contaminations.Conservation medicine1990s as health gains importance in conservation Connection of health of animals and humans and ecosystems in situComparative medicineSince ancient time Understanding shared or similar pathophysiological processes, which is fundamentals for medical and translational researchEcohealth1990s by French Canadian-based International Development Research Centre Dependency of human and animal health and wellbeing on sustained environment. Human and ecosystem health exists in socio-ecological interactionsPlanetary healthIntroduced in 1970–80s, and repopularized by Lancet Commission and Rockefeller Foundation Anthropomorphized view of impact and interconnectedness of humans with the Earth at all levelsOne WelfareEmerged in 2015 for promotion of the links between animal welfare and human wellbeing Highlights the interconnection of animal welfare, human wellbeing, and environment to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in order to improve human and animal welfareBeyond One Ocean Health (B1OH)Impacts of environmental change on health of ecosystems and organisms with emphasis on ocean Highlights transdisciplinary actions on aquatic ecosystems, interconnected integrated systems and health through sustainable developments Links healthy ocean with health and equity.Public health Population-based (instead of individual) Focus on health promotion and prevention (instead of treatment and rehabilitation) Social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental determinant of healthGlobal healthSupraterritoriality of health Transboundary health threats
In its contemporary form, the concept of "One Health" is generally credited to the work of Calvin Schwabe at the University of California, Davis in the 1960s and 1970s. Schwabe, a veterinarian trained in public health, coined the term "One Medicine" in a veterinary medical textbook in 1964 to reflect the similarities between animal and human medicine and stress the importance of collaboration between veterinarians and physicians to help solve global health problems. He established a department at UC Davis to jointly address issues in the animal and human health sciences. Schwabe went on to fully rethink and develop the concept of One Medicine in 1976. Since 2009, UC Davis has continued to support the One Health movement through its One Health Institute.
In 2004, The Wildlife Conservation Society held a conference called "One World, One Health" at Rockefeller University in New York. Out of that conference the twelve Manhattan Principles were created to describe a unified approach to preventing epidemic diseases. These principles emphasized links between humans, animals, and the environment, their importance in understanding disease dynamics, and the need for interdisciplinary approaches to prevention, education, investment, and policy development.
Due to global scares surrounding the H5N1 influenza outbreaks of the early-mid 2000s, the American Veterinary Medical Association established a One Health Initiative Task Force in 2006, the American Medical Association passed a One Health resolution to promote partnering between veterinary and human medical organizations in 2007, and a One Health approach was recommended for responses to global disease outbreaks in 2007. Building on these initiatives, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and World Health Organization (WHO) came together with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations System Influenza Coordination, and the World Bank to develop a framework entitled Contributing to One World, One Health-A Strategic Framework for Reducing Risks of Infectious Diseases at the Animal-Human-Ecosystems Interface in 2008, reiterating recommendations for a One Health approach to global health. This framework was expanded and implementable policies were developed at Stone Mountain, Georgia in May 2010. International meetings on One Health were held in 2011 in Africa and Australia.
In 2012, Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, a physician, and Kathryn Bowers, a science journalist, published the book Zoobiquity, coining the term as they drew parallels between animal and human health through vivid case studies. They called for the biomedical scientific and clinical communities to rediscover comparative medicine and reexamine human and animal health in terms of evolution and the environment. A New York Times bestseller, the book has been described as "easy to read and entertaining" in its presentation of ideas similar to the "One Health" concept, but also criticized as lacking depth and failing to recognize the extent to which animals and humans have differently evolved as complex systems.
In 2016, The One Health Commission, One Health Platform, and One Health Initiative Team deemed International One Health Day to be November 3.
In 2019, Senator Tina Smith and Representative Kurt Schrader introduced the Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act into the United States Senate and House of Representatives, respectively. This bi-partisan piece of legislation would require that the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture, and other federal agencies develop a coordinated plan to create a One Health Framework to help prepare responses to zoonotic disease and prevent disease outbreaks. The bill was re-introduced by Tina Smith and Todd Young on March 18, 2021.
Public health applications The One Health model is commonly applied to public health problems that involve interactions among humans, animals, and the environment. These applications include zoonotic disease prevention, food safety, antimicrobial resistance surveillance, and environmental health interventions. Reviews of the One Health literature have identified zoonoses, environmental health, agriculture, food safety, and global health as recurring areas of application. The approach is used to encourage coordination across sectors because many infectious disease threats are shaped by animal reservoirs, ecological conditions, and human activity at the same time.
Habitat Fragmentation and The One Health Framework Habitat Fragmentation is a process where a once continuous habitat is broken into smaller and isolated patches. Activities such as deforestation, agriculture, urbanization, and natural disturbances can significantly shrink landscapes, and as a result these changes force wildlife and humans to come closer in contact. This increases the spread of zoonotic diseases between organisms as it makes them share the environment along with the resources in it. Due to the inability to access resources, stress increases among animals which weakens their immune systems. Due to higher stress levels the overall health declines, further increasing the chances that wildlife shed and change the distribution of pathogens across the ecosystem.
Nipah Virus Nipah virus is a disease that targets in respiratory illness and encephalitis in humans. It results due to an infection which is carried by fruit bats and can be transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals, contaminated food, or close contact with an infected person. A significant cause of the Nipah virus infection is due to deforestation and fragmentation. Flowering and fruiting trees were destroyed through the removal of trees which reduced food resources available for fruit bats. Consequently, this forced them to move closer to orchards and areas where sap was collected, putting them into closer contact with humans and livestock, thus increasing opportunities for the virus to spread.
Leading and supporting organizations One Health Commission (OHC) In 2007, Roger K. Mahr from the American Veterinary Medical Association, Jay H. Glasser from the American Public Health Association, and Ronald M. Davis from the American Medical Association came together as liaisons with other health science professionals, academics, students, government workers, and industry scientists to create a task force and have teleconferences to discuss One Health.One Health Initiative Task Force Members 2007/2008 This One Health Initiative Task Force created a report in 2008 which outlined recommendations to:
Create a joint steering committee,