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‘One Health’ keeps humans one step ahead of the microbes December 12, 2018    For a healthy planet, the health of all living creatures is equally important. One Health is a fairly new concept that prioritizes an interdisciplinary approach in science — to preserve the health of animals, humans and the environment. It is an approach that can be extended to any problem. The history of One Health can be traced to the term “One Medicine,” coined by veterinary epidemiologist Calvin Schwabe and the later 12 Manhattan Principles, published by the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2004. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a website listing several One Health projects and several other organisations now operate on similar principles — such as the One Health Commission, One Health initiative and One Health platform. This approach is important now because 75 per cent of emerging infectious diseases in humans have an animal origin. As our human population expands, deforestation and climate change will increase the potential for transfer of microorganisms from wildlife to humans and vice versa. In this article, we have used two examples to explain the principles of One Health. We highlight how they enable us to tackle emerging problems that require solutions at the human-animal-environment interface. ... Read complete article at https://theconversation.com/one-health-keeps-humans-one-step-ahead-of-the-microbes-106984