Volume-1, Issue-1

1. Introduction

One Health is an important multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach in public health worldwide. It connects human, animal, and the environmental health into one umbrella by acknowledging natural links among them. It emphasizes the importance of collaborative efforts to handle the recent emerging global health threats. One Health initiative represents a global strategy advocating for a transboundary and transdisciplinary approach by gathering expertise from multiple sectors to address and solve the health problem of humans, animals and ecosystems.

2.  Understanding the One Health Concept

The One Health concept highlights the interconnection between the health of humans, animals and the environmental ecosystems. A polluted river not only harms aquatic life but also affects the drinking water of humans and animals living along the riverbanks. The concept advocates bringing human doctors, veterinarians, environmentalists and related alliances together under one umbrella. Healthy environments and animals are vital for human health. This foundational idea underpins the One Health approach. (Figure 1). 

3.  Historical Background of One Health

The One Health concept has evolved through history. During the Zhou Dynasty in China (1046–256 BCE), integrated public health systems were recognized. Veterinary practices were institutionalized alongside human medical care which reflect an early understanding. In medieval Europe Avicenna (980–1037 CE) noted overlapping principles in human and animal health. The first veterinary school was established in France in 1762 laid the groundwork for comparative medicine of human and animals. The concept of zoonosis was introduced in the 19th century by German physician Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902). His term "zoonosis” explored the connections between human and animal diseases. Calvin Schwabe (1927–2006) modified the idea and introduced "One Medicine" in the 1960s and 1970s to address diseases like brucellosis and anthrax (Evans & Leighton, 2014).

The modern "One World, One Health" initiative was introduced at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s conference in New York in 2004. This initiative formally expanded the framework to include ecosystem health, recognizing environmental determinants in disease dynamics (Bresalier et al., 2021). 

4.  Importance of One Health

The One Health approach offers practical applications in 21st century than a conceptual framework. The rising frequency of zoonotic disease outbreaks worldwide emphasis on common ground for health management. Around 60% of the1400 identified human infectious diseases originate from animals. It is alarming that, 75% of the emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic (Shaheen, 2022).

Climate changes, water and air pollution, deforestation and urbanization disrupt the habitat of wild animals. For this reason, wildlife comes closer to humans and increasing likelihood pathogen transmission. The Ebola outbreak was epidemiologically linked to human encroachment into bat habitats (Rulli et al., 2017).

The One Health approach is essential for managing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is considered as a silent pandemic (Paneri & Sevta, 2023). Uncontrolled use of antibiotics in human and animals contributes to AMR. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 1.27 million deaths per year due to antibiotic-resistant related infections causes (Flynn & Guarner, 2023).

This approach also addresses the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) caused by environmental factors like air pollution. Chronic exposure to polluted air increases the risk factor of cardiovascular diseases (Al-Kindi et al., 2020). Rising levels of micro-plastics in land and aquatic ecosystems causes cancers in human as well as aquatic mammals (Nabi et al., 2022).

Preventive measures are emphasized in One Health, such as integrated surveillance systems. Programs like the Global Early Warning System (GLEWS). The Global Early Warning System (GLEWS), a collaborative initiative of WHO, FAO, and OIE, have demonstrated success in detecting outbreaks early (Ho, 2022).

One health approach has proven successful in several areas including rabies control, Rift valley fever surveillance, and avian influenza management (Table 1). 

5.  Principles of One Health

The One Health approach is built upon a set of principles to guide interdisciplinary collaboration. These principles provide actionable pathways for effective problem-solving (Gruetzmacher et al., 2021). Key principles of the One Health approach include:

• Collaboration among disciplines: Bringing together doctors, veterinarians, environmental scientists, ecologists, social scientists, and public health workers and other stockholders.

• Policy development: Promoting cohesive public health policies integrating human, animal, and environmental health.

• Resilience and Adaptability: The One Health approach builds systems that are resilient to change and adaptable to new challenges. One health encourages the development of flexible strategies to respond effectively in crisis moment.

• Diseases prevention: Prevention is an important principle of the One Health philosophy. Preventive measures include vaccination campaigns for animals and humans, habitat conservation efforts for wildlife and aquatic life, and the regulation of antibiotic use in livestock.

• Surveillance and monitoring: Effective surveillance systems for early detection. It advocates for integrated monitoring across human, animal, and environmental health sectors.

• Community engagement: Public awareness empower individuals to adopt preventive measures, report unusual health events. Increase cross-sectoral investment in the global human, livestock, wildlife, plant, and ecosystem health.

• Innovation and research: Ongoing research and innovation to develop new tools, technologies, and strategies for one health concept. Brings novel solutions to address the complex interplay between human, animals, and the environment.

6.  Challenges to implementation one health approach

The One Health approach holds immense promise, yet its implementation faces notable challenges that require tailored strategies:

• Fragmentation of Disciplines: This fragmentation of disciplines means that many institutions and stakeholders work in silos. To solve this, integrated interdisciplinary training programs, cross-sectoral platforms for constant communication is required.

• Resource Inequities: Developing countries especially least developed countries (LDCs) face significant challenges in allocating sufficient budgets and infrastructure development. Specific actions include mobilizing international funding, prioritizing healthcare infrastructure, and leveraging public-private partnerships to bridge resource gaps and elimination of corruptions.

• Policy Gaps: Lack of coordinated policies in animal, human, and environmental health domains hamper visible progress. It can be achieved through a unified regulatory framework.

• Community Resistance: Public awareness and acceptance of One Health initiatives often remain low. Public education campaigns emphasizing the practical benefits of One Health in preventing diseases and improving livelihoods are crucial.

• Quantifying Ecosystem Health: Developing measurable indicators for ecosystem health is a scientific challenge. Integration of advanced technologies like remote sensing, Artificial Intelligence, and environmental monitoring tools is required. 

7. Conclusion

The One Health approach is important for tackling most emerging public health challenges. It offers a roadmap to a healthier and more resilient future by improving collaboration, integrating knowledge, and the prioritizing prevention. Nations must embrace interdisciplinary efforts to ensure sustainable health systems and a balanced world for future generations.

Funding: This research received no external funding.

Data Availability Statement: All of the data used in this study are available in public domain.

Acknowledgments: The author acknowledged Anika Thasin Bithi for collecting related research article.

Conflict of Interest: The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing: During the preparation of this work, the author used ChatGPT to assist in drafting and refining various sections of the manuscript. After this tool was utilized, the author reviewed and edited the content as needed and takes full responsibility for the content of the published article.

References

• Ajose, D. J., Adekanmbi, A. O., Kamaruzzaman, N. F., Ateba, C. N., & Saeed, S. I. (2024). Combating antibiotic resistance in a one health context: a plethora of frontiers. One Health Outlook, 6(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42522-024-00115-7

• Al-Kindi, S. G., Brook, R. D., Biswal, S., & Rajagopalan, S. (2020). Environmental determinants of cardiovascular disease: lessons learned from air pollution. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 17(10), 656-672. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-020-0371-2

• Bresalier, M., Cassidy, A., & Woods, A. (2021). One health in history. In One Health: The theory and practice of integrated health approaches (pp. 1-14). Wallingford UK: Cabi.

• Evans, B. R., & Leighton, F. A. (2014). A history of One Health. Rev Sci Tech, 33(2), 413-420.

• Fawzy, M., & Helmy, Y. A. (2019). The one health approach is necessary for the control of Rift Valley fever infections in Egypt: A comprehensive review. Viruses, 11(2), 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11020139

• Flynn, C. E., & Guarner, J. (2023). Emerging antimicrobial resistance. Modern Pathology, 36(9), 100249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.modpat.2023.100249

• Ghosh, S., Hasan, M. N., Nath, N. D., Haider, N., Jones, D. H., Islam, M. K., ... & Islam, M. N. (2024). Rabies control in Bangladesh and prediction of human rabies cases by 2030: a One Health approach. The Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia, 27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2024.100452

• Gruetzmacher, K., Karesh, W. B., Amuasi, J. H., Arshad, A., Farlow, A., Gabrysch, S., ... & Walzer, C. (2021). The Berlin principles on one health–Bridging global health and conservation. Science of the Total Environment, 764, 142919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142919

• Ho, C. W. L. (2022). Operationalizing “one health” as “one digital health” through a global framework that emphasizes fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 768977. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.768977

• Nabi, G., Ahmad, S., Ullah, S., Zada, S., Sarfraz, M., Guo, X., ... & Wanghe, K. (2022). The adverse health effects of increasing microplastic pollution on aquatic mammals. Journal of King Saud University-Science, 34(4), 102006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2022.102006

• Paneri, M., & Sevta, P. (2023). Overview of antimicrobial resistance: an emerging silent pandemic. Global Journal of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Biomedical Update, https://doi.org/18. 10.25259/GJMPBU_153_2022

• Rulli, M. C., Santini, M., Hayman, D. T., & D’Odorico, P. (2017). The nexus between forest fragmentation in Africa and Ebola virus disease outbreaks. Scientific reports, 7(1), 41613. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep41613

• Shaheen, M. N. (2022). The concept of one health applied to the problem of zoonotic diseases. Reviews in medical virology, 32(4), e2326. https://doi.org/10.1002/rmv.2326

• Wedari, N. L. P. H., Sukrama, I. D. M., Budayanti, N. N. S., Sindhughosa, D. A., Prabawa, I. P. Y., & Manuaba, I. B. A. P. (2021). One Health concept and role of animal reservoir in avian influenza: a literature review. Bali Medical Journal, 10(2), 515-520. https://doi.org/10.15562/bmj.v10i2.2532