Spice Route

One Health

Dr. Zarin Pilakkadavath
Graduate Medical Scholar
Boston university
USA

Dr. Serin Kuriakose
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer & Family Medicine Specialist
NCDC, New Delhi

The concept of “One Health” implies that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and our mutual environment. It was initially known as “One Medicine”- a term coined by Calvin Schwabe and is dedicated to improving the lives of all human and animal species through the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science. One Health takes inspiration from the Greek father of Medicine, Hippocrates, and based on his approach which recognizes that human health, animal health and environmental health are part of a whole body. This concept becomes increasingly important in the current scenario of COVID -19 pandemic where the disease originated in bats and was transmitted to humans through unknown intermediate hosts in the Wuhan Sea food market, China. The outbreaks of Nipah Virus, West Nile Virus, Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, SARS, Monkeypox, Mad Cow Disease and Avian Influenza share the same concept and reminds us that human and animal health are intimately interconnected. If we watch wildlife closely, we will eventually witness the uncontrolled spread of illness.

The term ‘One Health’ was first used with the emergence of severe acute respiratory disease (SARS) in early 2003 and subsequently by the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1. The rise of emerging and resurging infectious diseases threatens not only human beings, their food supplies, and economies but also the fauna and flora that comprises the biodiversity of our world.

In September 2004, health experts from around the world met in New York for a symposium organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and hosted by The Rockefeller University that focused on diseases among human, domestic animal, and wildlife populations. The result of the symposium was the laying down of “Manhattan principles” which listed 12 recommendations that would help in establishing a more holistic approach to prevent epidemic and epizootic disease and for maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem for the benefit of humans, animals, and other living species that would help in achieving a balance in the ecosystem.

Manhattan principles:

1. Recognise the essential link between human, domestic animal and wildlife health and the threat disease poses.

2. Recognise that decisions regarding land and water use have real implications for health.

3. Include wildlife health science as an essential component of global disease prevention, surveillance, monitoring, control and mitigation.

4. Recognise that public health programs can greatly contribute to conservation efforts.

5. Devise adaptive, holistic and forward looking approaches to the prevention, surveillance, monitoring, control and mitigation of emerging and resurging diseases that take the complex interconnections among species into full account.

6. Integrate biodiversity conservation perspectives and human needs when developing solutions to infectious disease threats.

7. Reduce demand for and better regulate the international wildlife and bush meat trade.

8. Restrict the mass culling of wildlife species for disease control.

9. Increase investment in the global human and animal health infrastructure.

10. Form collaborative relationships among governments, local people and the private and public sectors.

11. Provide adequate resources and support for global wildlife health surveillance.

12. Invest in educating and raising awareness among the world’s people.

Management and prevention of emerging infectious diseases requires the expansion and continuing support of collaborations between human and animal health experts at the clinical, diagnostic, public health, research, and training levels. A “one man show” concept cannot address issues at the animal-human-environment interface. Professionals in human health (doctors, nurses, public health experts, epidemiologists), animal health (veterinarians, agricultural workers), environment (ecologists, wildlife experts), and other areas of expertise like policy makers need to communicate, collaborate on, and coordinate activities. To increase global awareness of the One health concept, 3rd November has been designated as “One Health Day” to celebrate and bring attention to the need for a One Health approach to address the shared health threats at the human-animal-environment interface.