“One Health is a concept that recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health; it is built on the premise that the health of all living things and our planet may be improved when experts across different fields work together to solve complex health problems.

One Health involves collaboration at local, regional, national and global levels — with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes for all. Public health focuses on preventing illness and injury and promoting health in populations such as neighborhoods, communities, regions or countries. Issues relevant to public and One Health include — but are not limited to — zoonotic and vector-borne disease, hunger, diet-disease linkages, biosecurity, occupational health and safety, pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance and global health issues affected by climate. …”

Abstract

The development of non-invasive diagnostic methods for zoonotic viral infections is important for animal welfare and public health. Sebum-based diagnostic methods using commercial oil-blotting films have been used for SARS-CoV-2 detection in humans, but similar strategies for veterinary use remain unexplored. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV), presents a major health threat in Asia—especially in Japan, where multiple cases of cat-to-veterinarian transmission have been reported. To address this need for safer diagnostics, we sought to establish a sebum-based RNA virus detection method for cats. We designed primers that efficiently detected RNA from feline sebum while distinguishing it from human and feline DNA/RNA. Using this platform, we deemed the ear to be the optimal sebum collection site and confirmed that feline immunodeficiency virus RNA can be reliably identified from ear sebum with sensitivity comparable to conventional blood-based testing. Additionally, we detected SFTSV RNA from sebum samples of infected cat. Our findings introduce a minimally invasive, safe diagnostic platform for feline viral infections, reducing animal distress while safeguarding veterinarians and pet owners from zoonotic risks. This strategy is an important step toward realizing the One Health framework by advancing the well-being of animals and humans.

Volume 13, No. 1, Released February 15, 2026

Sharing news gathered late December 2025, January – early February 2026

ALSO: The deadline for applications to serve on the OHC Board has been extended to March 15. 

SEE: https://conta.cc/4qyBXaz 

19 November 2026 | 14:00 – 15:30 (CEST) | Virtual

This webinar “connects the dots” between France’s One Health Summit (Lyon, 7 April 2026) and FAO’s planned first-ever Global Conference on One Health in Agrifood Systems (2026), translating their goals and key messages into implementable actions for government decision-makers and national food systems leadership. To overcome current gaps, the session will explicitly anchor these One Health milestones in the post-UNFSS+4 implementation agenda, building on the momentum of the UNFSS+4 Stocktake and the Hub’s ongoing work to turn global commitments into practical results through partnerships, financing, and inclusive governance. Designed for policymakers (health, agriculture, environment, and finance) and National Convenors, the session will combine a narrative framed around integrated food–health–environment wins; practical policy recommendations on how to embed One Health frameworks in national food systems follow-up actions; and an “implementation toolbox” segment spotlighting the Quadripartite policy products that could support Convenors on cross-ministerial coordination on One Health.

Submission Deadline: 31 March 2026

Aims and Scope:

“A healthy and resilient ocean has become a targeted outcome of the United Nations Decade of Oceans for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) https://oceandecade.org/. Surprisingly, the ocean plays hardly any role in the current One Health debates, even though it makes up almost 71% of the planet’s surface, regulates the Earth’s climate and provides nutrient-rich food and at least half of the planet’s total oxygen. While there is certainly debate about the role of the ocean in human or animal health and well-being, this discussion has remained largely separate from a conceptual clarification of Ocean Health. This special edition aims to address this conceptual gap and bring vibrant and needed discussions. One Health action is immediately needed at the global Ocean Health level to identify and characterize existing and emerging health risks, particularly in the field of food safety and security, by building the capacity to collect and analyse diverse data information. There is also a need for integrated research-based recommendations to various stakeholders (e.g. policy-makers, industry, citizens) to identify Oceans Health priorities and to build One Health collaborations. Global needs such as standardisation and novel sustainable holistic ECO-thinking to equitable food production, benefiting justice, health, inclusion and a peaceful sustainable Ocean World. We call for the development of a holistic perspective concerned with One Ocean Health and beyond by acknowledging the complex interconnections between all ecosystems of the “Blue Planet”. …”

One Health Institute

Registration is open for the University of Guelph’s “Mobilizing One Health” micro-credential, which begins its next seven-week session on March 9, 2026. Offered through the One Health Institute and the School of Continuing Studies, this course is designed for professionals to address health challenges at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental sectors.

Why Protecting Nature and Animals Protects Human Health

“The United States was formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO) by President Donald J. Trump on January 22, 2026. Trump signed an executive order giving one-year notice on January 20, 2025. …”

“… Mississippi State’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station conducts research to enhance coastal environments and habitats through a One Health approach, recognizing the interconnected health of people, animals, plants and their shared environment. …”

(USA)

The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and The Bill Gatton Foundation Grand Challenge Team recently established a One Health Initiative. The initiative will bring together research, extension and instruction in One Health and serves as a foundation for launching the future UK One Health Center.

UK is in a unique situation as a land-grant institution and one of eight academic institutions in the U.S. with a full complement of engineering, liberal arts, professional, medical and agricultural colleges and disciplines on one contiguous campus. Having everything on one campus promotes collaborative activities and research projects across the 16 degree-granting colleges and over 200 academic programs at the university.

The Martin-Gatton CAFE is uniquely situated with many years of collaboration not only across the university but also with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Department of Public Health, Kentucky State University, Murray State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Our college has one of the strongest extension programs in the nation. As one of our three mission areas, extension ensures the dissemination of knowledge from the university to the people of Kentucky. Our presence in all 120 counties allows our extension agents and staff to serve as the primary extension educational arm of UK, disseminating information about One Health topics, research and emerging diseases throughout the commonwealth.

Also see: Our Team | One Health