I believe that the concept of One Health ultimately stems from the origins of life.
I also believe that the sharing between people, animals, plants and the environment is the result of life having emerged from the same single lineage and having carved out its history. That point of view will reunite the world. In that sense, I think of One Health in relation to the origins of life. Humans, animals and the environment have been linked since the birth of life.
We must not forget this shared history.
Research Fellow Ryoko Oi
Overview of One Health from the WHO website
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.
It recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent.
While health, food, water, energy and environment are all wider topics with sector-specific concerns, the collaboration across sectors and disciplines contributes to protect health, address health challenges such as the emergence of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and food safety and promote the health and integrity of our ecosystems.
By linking humans, animals and the environment, One Health can help to address the full spectrum of disease control – from prevention to detection, preparedness, response and management – and contribute to global health security. The approach can be applied at the community, subnational, national, regional and global levels, and relies on shared and effective governance, communication, collaboration and coordination. Having the One Health approach in place makes it easier for people to better understand the co-benefits, risks, trade-offs and opportunities to advance equitable and holistic solutions.
Reference: One health on the World Health Organization website
