“…

“The transmission of zoonotic viral diseases to humans can cost lives, disrupt economies, and create lasting human health and societal problems, as we’ve seen most recently with the impact of COVID-19,” Deborah T. Kochevar, the STOP Spillover program director and a faculty member at Tufts, said.

The program leverages expertise from Tufts’ schools in infectious-disease forecasting, surveillance, prevention and eradication; food and water safety and risk reduction; social behavioral change; global health diplomacy; and One Health programming and education.

…”

“These days every hour we are inundated by data and information so much so the World Health Organization (WHO)  coined a word for it “infodemic”. It is defined as “an overabundance of information – some accurate and some not – that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it.”  …

… In short, in this article, I provide only the tip of the COVID-19 infodemic iceberg. The extent to which the COVID-19 story will reflect responsible reporting, mere “optimism”, falsehoods, or dangerous hyperbole, only we the public, and time will tell. But where we are today is shaped by our preconceptions, emotions, and politics.

Let us hope we get wiser with time.”

We must take a One Health approach to improve human pandemic infection control

From a healthcare perspective, they emphasised the importance of a One Health approach which embraces human, animal, and environmental health …

“Collaborative public health measures, such as those adopted in a One Health approach, are needed to address the potential health impacts of bushfires, climate change and coronavirus pandemic.

The essay below, by Nicodemus Masila, was submitted for the National Public Health Think Tank Competition and has been selected by Croakey for publication. The competition is an initiative of the Students and Young Professionals in Public Health (SYPPH) Committee of the Public Health Association of Australia …”

Uniontown Herald Standard

Healthy microbiomes in the soil, as maintained by organic farmers, mean … and chemical fertilizers on agricultural soils is a major One Health issue.

“… The impact of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and chemical fertilizers on agricultural soils is a major One Health issue. …”

“… Surely the thing for any sane and civil society to do is to practice effective preventive medicine from a One Health perspective, which first calls for a total revision of our relationships with animals.”

“… Previous Jumping In podcast series topics have included Open Universities in the African continent; the One Health Workforce project and why multidisciplinary initiatives like it are valuable in the fight against COVID and other zoonotic diseases; opportunities the COVID-19 pandemic presents for online universities; and the Learning Technologies Media Lab at UMN, which was an incubator for the development of thought, theory, and educational technologies. …”

“…

Launching it, the Minister said ‘‘This Code of Good Practice will serve as a useful tool for sheep farmers as they work to address the ‘One Health’ challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).” …

… “What does ‘One Health’ mean?

The ‘One Health’ concept is a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. Recognising that human health, animal health and ecosystem health are inextricably linked, ‘One Health’ seeks to promote, improve and defend the health and well-being of all species by enhancing cooperation and collaboration between physicians, veterinarians, other scientific health and environmental professionals and by promoting strengths in leadership and management to achieve these goals.

There is international consensus through the ‘One Health’ Initiative to which the WHO (World Health Organisation), FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) and the OIE (World Health Organisation for Animal Health) are signatories, that tackling the global public health threat of AMR requires action across human and animal health sectors, agriculture and the wider environment. …”

One Health is a worldwide concept and strategy recognizing that the health of people, animals, and the environment are all connected. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works with physicians, veterinarians, ecologists, and many others to monitor and control public health threats and to learn about how diseases spread among people, animals, and the environment.

Link Between Human, Animal, and Environmental Health

One Health is important at the local, regional, national, and global levels, and there are many examples of its importance. One example of how human, animal, and environmental health are linked involves bacteria, cows, farms, food, lettuce, and humans …

“…  Analysis of 410 species of birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals found that about 40% of those that are thought to be highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 are considered threatened or endangered. These include the Western lowland gorilla, Sumatran orangutan and Northern white-cheeked gibbon, which are predicted to be at very high risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2. Gray whales, bottlenose dolphins, white-tailed deer and Chinese hamsters are at high risk; cats, cows and sheep are at medium risk; and dogs, pigs and horses are at low risk.

This valuable contribution to our understanding of the potential threat of this virus to other species calls for One Health (onehealthinitiative.com) precautionary measures to minimize — and ideally prevent — infected humans from infecting other animals. Those animals, if infected, could then serve as reservoirs to reinfect people — or, if endangered, they could become extinct. …”

Abstract

Cloth masks have been used in healthcare and community settings to protect the wearer from respiratory infections. The use of cloth masks during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is under debate. The filtration effectiveness of cloth masks is generally lower than that of medical masks and respirators; however, cloth masks may provide some protection if well designed and used correctly. Multilayer cloth masks, designed to fit around the face and made of water-resistant fabric with a high number of threads and finer weave, may provide reasonable protection. Until a cloth mask design is proven to be equally effective as a medical or N95 mask, wearing cloth masks should not be mandated for healthcare workers. In community settings, however, cloth masks may be used to prevent community spread of infections by sick or asymptomatically infected persons, and the public should be educated about their correct use.

“… Our educational programs promote and facilitate collaborative activities and projects among the countries with an emphasis on improving One Health workforce capacity with cross-sectoral competencies to effectively prevent, detect, and respond to all hazards and emerging threats. Examples of our educational initiatives include the development of One Health core and technical competencies, curriculum development and strengthening, introducing innovative teaching methodologies such as One Health problem-based learning cases, building research capacity to provide an evidence-base for One Health advocacy, One Health student clubs, and scholarship and fellowship programs to support long-term capacity development. …”

An outstanding visionary One Health presentation …

*Dr. Gray, Professor, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke Infectious Diseases & Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, North Carolina (USA) and Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore. Formerly, Director, One Health Center of Excellence for Research & Training, Professor Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, and Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida (USA). Gray is a member of the One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team’s Advisory Board (Hon.) https://onehealthinitiative.com/advisory-board/ and was recently awarded an Honorary Diploma from the American Veterinary Epidemiology Society (AVES) http://www.avesociety.org/.

Abstract: Climate change has become a controversial topic in today’s media despite decades of warnings from climate scientists and has influenced human health significantly with the increasing prevalence of infectious pathogens and contribution to antimicrobial resistance. Elevated temperatures lead to rising sea and carbon dioxide levels, changing environments and interactions between humans and other species. These changes have led to the emergence and reemergence of infectious pathogens that have already developed significant antimicrobial resistance. Although these new infectious pathogens are alarming, we can still reduce the burden of infectious diseases in the era of climate change if we focus on One Health strategies. This approach aims at the simultaneous protection of humans, animals and environment from climate change and antimicrobial impacts. Once these relationships are better understood, these models can be created, but the support of our legislative and health system partnerships are critical to helping with strengthening education and awareness.