“DrPH. William Pan, of the Duke Global Health Institute and Nicholas School of the Environment, understands that human health is intricately tied to how climate change can effect our environments. Pan works with the concept of One Health, which demonstrates the overlapping consequences to human health, animal health and environmental health.

Pan explores how issues such as malaria, human migration due to inhospitable environments and unhealthy iron levels exacerbated by flooding, contribute to humans being more susceptible to infectious and chronic disease, as well as issues with animal and ecosystem health.  …”

“… The 2022 Bali Summit committed to a multi-sectoral One Health approach and to enable global pathogen surveillance to implement the International Health Regulations (2005). Reaffirming the One Health approach, the Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting also committed to accelerating the response to AMR in the context of agriculture and food and emphasised cross-sectoral collaboration.

The need to develop policies, invest in research and build the ecosystem to strengthen the connection between environment and human and animal health has been highlighted as a top priority not just by G20 but at all global high-level for a ranging from the discussions in UNGA, G7 to G20 Presidencies.  …”

“… Following the TEAM28, WHO assumed the Chair of the Quadripartite and committed to further strengthen efforts in One Health, together with the Quadripartite partners, as per the agreements and actions from the TEAM28.  …”

This week news came out that a French scientist had “discovered” genetic data from the Wuhan market where wildlife is sold, pointing to a possible “natural spillover” from animals rather than a “lab leak”; what if both theories were correct? Here are the facts

“… The prevailing theory among experts back then was that the virus originated in bats and then had jumped to an intermediate host, possibly a pangolin or another animal, before being transmitted to humans.

This was in line with the One Health concept that is gaining traction worldwide – the notion that we are all part of the same interface and intimately connected – humans, animals and our shared environment – a concept that is gaining traction around the world and that we have often referred to in our articles here.  …”

By *Claude Forthomme, MA – Senior Editor   March 19, 2023 in Health, Society

* Member One Health Initiative Team Advisory Board

“… It’s time we sounded the war bugle for AMR and One Health.”

” … In 2022, a new School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine was created by bringing together the internationally renowned School of Veterinary Medicine and the leading multidisciplinary Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine to address some of the most important challenges that face our planet. This new School is unique in the UK in its ability to link research on animal health, production and welfare with ecological and evolutionary approaches.

The University of Glasgow is now seeking an exceptional leader to become the next Head of the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine. Responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of the School, they will provide dynamic leadership to the truly multidisciplinary and unique makeup of staff and students to ensure they can perform to their full potential.

The postholder must be a veterinarian who is or can become a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. They will also be an academic of international standing in their own field of expertise so as to be a role model and an effective mentor for other academic staff. …”

https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/dpfoioffice/policiesandprocedures/dpa-policy/ 

Apply Now Download Further Details

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

___________________

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.