One Health Publications

Action for Animal Health released a report on how animal health affects human health and saves lives.

“… What is One Health?

The report advocates for its methods under the framework called “One Health.” One Health is a healthcare approach that seeks to recognize the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health. The framework maintains that these dimensions of health are inextricably dependent on one another, so when one falters or is bolstered, it has a cascading effect on the others.

The report asserts that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the threat posed by zoonoses. Although recent information highlights the likelihood that the pandemic was a result of a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China, zoonoses remain an undeniable threat. …”

Animals have gotten a bum rap: Sure, some of them cause mass plagues, infestations and horrible diseases and even death – but by and large, they are invaluable; in fact, their sanguine relationship with humans, with making our environment and our lives better is crucial

The risks of gain-of-function research on pandemic potential pathogens such as SARS and MERS outweigh the benefits. Greater oversight of biosafety, biosecurity, and biorisk management in laboratories must be done by an independent national agency that doesn’t perform or fund research.

By Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP, Co-founder, One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team & website

“… In other words, the key evidence for natural spillover for both SARS and MERS was clinical specimens from occupational exposures. Working with animals that harbor zoonotic pathogens (microbes that can spread from animals to humans) increased spillover risk in the animal workers. A One Health approach integrating human, animal, and environmental surveillance is essential for monitoring future natural spillover events. …”

The new Compendium “2000 Years of Pandemics” by Ferreira, Doursout, and Balingit is really something to study in detail to be better prepared for the challenges of our times. Although the term “One Health” is not employed by the US-American authors, their intention is clearly to demonstrate that infectious diseases become all too often epidemics and pandemics because of careless human interference with the environment: Atmosphere, Water, Plants, and Animals; as there are: Carbon dioxide and Methane production, melting of the polar ice, deforestation, excessive use of antibiotics in animals and humans, worldwide travel, trade, and last not least wars and forced migration. The presentation of roughly 400 pages with several highly interesting copies of old paintings and recent photos starts with an excellent account of the two epidemics. Smallpox shackled the Roman empire at the end of the second century of our times and from the fourth to the eighth century Byzantine was hit repeatedly by several waves of plague. In the second millennium, the frequency of epidemics increased to approximately at least once every century, the most devastating in the 14^th century named the Black Death. According to the cited literature up to 200 million out of a world population of 500 million died. Smallpox was also brought by the Spaniards to the new world where the majority of the Azteks and Inkas died and their empires fell into the hands of Cortez and Pizarro. The main part with almost 300 pages deals with the various bacterial, viral and zoonotic infections, now striking almost every decade, the latest sofar caused by COVID-19, predicted in many details by experts without listening by the political decision makers. A concluding statement may be cited here: ‘If we do not change our behavior with regard to natural habitats, then the answer is YES’ … with regard to an ever increasing number of pandemics’. … So far we have treated the consequences, not the causes’. I would like to add: We react and treat but do not prevent guided by the wide spectrum of One Health. Reading this work by Ferreira et al. is a must not only for public health and one health professionals but also for the political establishment.

By Prof. Dr. med. Ulrich Laaser DTM&H, MPH

Past President ASPHER and WFPHA

Faculty of Health Sciences, Bielefeld University

POB 10 01 31, D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany

E-mail: ulrich.laaser@uni-bielefeld.de; laaseru@gmail.com

Orcid: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5889-4471?lang=en

South Eastern European Journal of Public Health at: www.seejph.com

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The arrival of this excellent book “2000 Years of Pandemics” could not be more propitious.  It comes at a critical time, a point in human history where the concerns of endemic, epidemics, and pandemics are at the highest, and with social media and other communication sources widespread.  In this regard it is very fortunate that this book includes many visuals-old paintings and photographs:  This will resonate well with a wider audience, inside and outside scientists. A core message to be drawn is that written over the U.S. Supreme Court, “The Past is Prologue”.  If we fail to learn from two millennia of experience we will suffer the consequences.

Needed was explicit and extensive use of the term “One Health“.  One Health recognizes the interconnectedness between animal, human, and environmental health, emphasizing that the health of one is directly related to the health of all. It takes a multisectoral approach in dealing with prevention, surveillance, control, and response to infectious diseases.  One Health nomenclature is critically important to garner traction, attention, and concrete actions by policymakers,  national and international technical assistance and financing institutions, advocacy groups, community-based organizations, and even the private sector.

A fine book to be sure: It would be improved if there is a sub-title something like “We Have Been Pursuing One Health over the millennia without knowing what to call it”.

By Richard Seifman, JD, MBA is a UNA/NCA Board Member, former World Bank Senior Health Advisor and U.S. Senior Foreign Service Officer, and Honorary Diplomate of the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society (AVES).

Authors:

Claudia Ferreira [DVM] , Marie-Françoise J. Doursout [PhD] , Joselito S. Balingit [MD]

• Provides comprehensible analysis of major pandemics over the past 2000 years, including COVID-19
• Evaluates for patterns and common factors related to the origin, spread, containment and control of pandemics
• Presents a novel pandemic preparedness plan, assisting health agencies, health care professionals and students

Advancing Health Care in Humans, Animals and the Environment

NOTE:

We are hiring …
The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston is world-famous for its excellence in emerging infectious disease research and training. We are looking for new team members who have a passion to protect the world against today’s and tomorrow’s emerging infectious disease threats. If you want to make the world a better place by fighting these diseases, then join our interdisciplinary, One Health-oriented team. We have opportunities for:

Postdoctoral Fellow, Internal Medicine-Infectious Disease (Galveston) 
Research associate I (bachelor’s degree)
Research associate II (master’s degree) – 2 positions
Physician-Scientist T32 Training in Emerging Infectious Diseases

Contact *Professor Greg Gray at gcgray@utmb.edu if you have any questions.

*Dr. Gray is a longstanding member of the One Health Initiative team’s Advisory Board.

The latest chatbots and other AI tools open new avenues for raising awareness of the merits of One Health (OH); here are some ways they could be used, recognizing both the potential and the limitations

By **Richard Seifman, JD, MBA   February 25, 2023 in Health, Society, Tech

**Member One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team:  Laura H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP ▪ Bruce Kaplan, DVM ▪ Thomas P. Monath, MD ▪ *Lisa A. Conti, DVM, MPH ▪ Thomas M. Yuill, PhD ▪ Helena J. Chapman, MD, MPH, PhD ▪ Craig N. Carter, DVM, PhD ▪ Becky Barrentine, MBA ▪ Richard Seifman, JD, MBA

*Deceased November 6, 2020

Review of: “Improving agriculture and food security in Africa: Can the one health approach be the answer?” – Review by Bruce Kaplan, [DVM] | Qeios

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the major challenges of the century and should be addressed with a One Health approach.

… guided by the `One Health` approach. This transdisciplinary approach applies human, animal and environmental health and social science”.

In the post-relief phase, human, animal, and environmental health need to be a priority

Also see: One Health Archives – Impakter

“…In fact, scientists really haven’t had the tools — or funding — to detect new viruses inside people, says Dr. Gregory Gray, who’s an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

“We probably have novel viruses in North America infecting people who work a lot with animals, especially domestic animals,” Gray says. “We’re just missing them because we don’t often have the tools to pick them up.” …”

The Global Governance of Emerging Zoonotic Diseases (cfr.org)

Council on Foreign Relations

This, in turn, has influenced efforts to advance a “One Health” approach, which brings together human, animal, and environmental health.

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“… A third and related challenge is the limited scope of activities deemed legitimate for the global governance of emerging zoonotic diseases to undertake. These emphasize secondary prevention through disease surveillance and selected measures for preparedness and response, such as diagnostics, vaccines, treatments, clinical care, and biosafety protocols. However, activities to advance primary prevention, including the need to adopt binding regulation of the private sector, is often deemed beyond the scope of scientific and technical cooperation. As researcher John Mackenzie and his colleagues argue, “there is little interest in any form of ‘global governance’: [One Health] is a concept or approach not an association or society.” Instead, the authors support “[identifying] a body that can lead relationship development between major disciplines and foster a true transdisciplinary approach, develop global guidelines and strategies, and ensure sustainable funding is needed, probably in an advisory capacity.” This approach suggests a larger resistance to granting regulatory authority over human activities that directly or indirectly contribute to increased risks of spillover events, including the role of powerful private sector interests such as the food, transport, forestry, and energy industries. The result is a continued focus on identifying and responding to zoonotic disease events but not engaging in primary prevention to stop them happening in the first place. …”

23rd Indian Veterinary Congress & National Symposium on “Advances in Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance and Ensuring Food Safety under One Health Perspective” 3-4 February, 2023 at College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Kamdhenu University, Anand (Gujarat)

SEE: NEWSLETTER ONE HEALTH https://onehealthinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Final-Onehealth-Newsletter-11.02.2023.pdf

LSE Blogs – London School of Economics:  The concept of ‘One Health‘ refers to a unified approach for balancing and optimising the health of people, animals, and the environment.

Sporotrichosis: overview and updates on an emerging zoonotic disease threat · Mpox One Health Response: Considerations for animal testing · Salmonella …

One Health novella for students

by L.H. Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP (Author)  Format: Kindle Edition