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COVID-19 & the urgent case for a greater focus on One Health

June 3, 2021

Adjacent Open Access

SEE: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/focus-on-one-health/111953/

“ ... A greater focus on One Health

One Health is a concept that recognises the interconnections between human, animal and environmental health, and that policies should be developed with these at front of mind. As an example, many governments in countries where rabies is endemic have rolled out strategies to eliminate the disease by 2030. Such strategies focus on the multi-sectoral efforts to ensure effective surveillance of the disease in humans and animals, investment in mass dog vaccination to create herd immunity (dogs are the primary source of rabies), community education, and improving access to human rabies pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis. It has long been established that you cannot eliminate rabies without concerted joined-up efforts.  ....

“... Future collaborative pandemic preparedness

In March this year, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other world leaders recognised in a joint article that One Health should be part of a future collaborative pandemic preparedness and response treaty. Further, the WHO, FAO, OIE, and UNEP also recently called for individuals to serve as experts on the One Health High-Level Expert Panel. This panel will support Governments in linked frameworks around one health planning and reflects the appetite and support for greater coordination.

Our planetary health relies on such coordination and resourcing. Collaboration is one thing, but underfunding in the animal health workforce has also limited the capacity to fully realise one health initiatives. This was highlighted in a recent blog by OIE and World Bank, which reinforced that success is only possible with sustainable financing and that the treaty being proposed, for example, should come with the establishment of a Global One Health Support Facility. ...

Until policy influencers across nations better consider animals in efforts to prevent disease outbreaks, the same mistakes will be repeated. As the UN-Secretary General noted last year, we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world, reinforcing the pressing case to further invest in One Health. ...”

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