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                                                                                                                                                                                           3 April2017      For Immediate Release   Contact(s):        Peter Costa, +1 984 500 8593 (USA), pcosta@onehealthcommission.org                               Chris Vanlangendonck, +32 475 81 38 59 (Belgium), c.vanlangendonck@onehealthplatform.com     SECOND ANNUAL “ONE HEALTH DAY” PLANNED BY THREE INTERNATIONAL ONE HEALTH GROUPS 3 NOVEMBER 2017 2016 ONE HEALTH DAY STUDENT COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT The first edition of the global One Health Day, held on 3 November 2016, generated over 150 events in over 35 countries engaging approximately 17,000 participants. Officially launched in April 2016 by three leading international One Health groups, the One Health Commission, the One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team, and the One Health Platform Foundation, this initiative has grown into an annual, sustainable platform for One Health supporters around the world. Today, the three leading global partners launch promotion of the 2017 annual One Health Day campaign, calling upon individuals and groups from around the world to implement One Health educational projects and awareness events under the auspices of One Health Day. Regional One Health Day Spokespersons in Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas will continue to liaise with project teams in their respective regions, while a network of One Health Day Country Ambassadors works within their countries to encourage creation of inspiring events. Anyone, from academia to government to corporate to private individuals can plan and implement a One Health Day Event. The events do not have to fall right on November 3. All events should be registered on the webpage to be promoted on the One Health Day website and represented on the global One Health Day Events map.  Student groups from all disciplines can compete for cash prizes and global recognition. Participating teams can have the One Health Day logo translated into a language of their choice. All promotional materials are freely downloadable from the One Health Day website. The One Health Day organizing team was very pleased to have received numerous outstanding entries for the three 2016 Student Event Competition awards. Competing groups had to meet a set of criteria and were required to submit a post-event summary. The International Evaluation Committee was impressed with the work of the One Health Day Student teams, and the decision process has hence been challenging. Based on an objective assessment by these internationally recognized One Health leaders, three teams will each be awarded a $5,000 prize. The winning 2016 One Health Day Student Event teams are: University of California at Davis, Washington University at St Louis, Missouri and George Washington University in Washington D.C. Two additional $500 One Health Day Planning Team Special Recognition Awards will go to the teams from Makerere University, Uganda, and the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Student Event awards in 2017 will go to the top event in each of four global regions so students are encouraged to begin planning. Additional information is available online at www.onehealthday.org #### About One Health Day One Health Day answers the urgent need for a One Health trans-disciplinary approach towards solving today’s critical global health challenges. It is a timely initiative that gives scientists and advocates a powerful voice for moving beyond current provincial approaches to emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, environmental pollution, food safety, comparative/ translational medicine and many other problems, to a holistic default way of doing business. About One Health One Health is a movement to forge co-equal, all-inclusive collaborations, in both research and applied sciences, between human and animal health arenas, chemical, engineering and social scientists, dentists, nurses, agriculturalists and food producers, wildlife and environmental health specialists and many other related disciplines, assembled under the One Health umbrella. As early as 2010 the World Bank recognized and published documentary evidence supporting benefits of a One Health approach in disease prevention, public health and global security. Today, the One Health approach is being increasingly accepted by numerous major international organizations such as the World Medical Association (WMA), the World Veterinary Association (WVA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Many other supporting organizations can be found at http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php