One Health Approach

Defining One Health - All for One Health!

• Definition: A collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach - working at local, regional, national, and global levels.
• Core Idea: Recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment.
• Goal: To achieve optimal health outcomes for people, animals, and ecosystems.
• Key Areas Addressed:
  • Zoonotic diseases (e.g., Rabies, Influenza, Nipah)
  • Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
  • Food safety and security
  • Vector-borne diseases
  • Environmental contamination

⭐ The Tripartite alliance (WHO, FAO, WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health), now expanded to the Quadripartite with UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), spearheads global One Health initiatives.

The One Health Triad - People, Pets, Planet

• Core Principle: Interconnectedness of health between humans, animals (domestic/wild), and their shared environment.
• Components & Interactions:
  • Human Health ("People"): Affected by zoonoses, food safety, and environmental contaminants.
  • Animal Health ("Pets"/Livestock): Animals act as disease reservoirs, sentinels of environmental toxins, and contribute to food security.
  • Environmental Health ("Planet"): Factors like climate change, deforestation, and pollution impact pathogen emergence and vector distribution.
• Significance: Diseases often emerge at the interface of these three components, necessitating a collaborative approach.

⭐ Approximately 75% of recent emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are of animal origin (zoonotic).

EID Catalysts - One Health Under Siege

• Core Drivers Fueling EIDs:

  • Microbial Adaptation: Genetic changes (e.g., antigenic drift/shift in Influenza).
  • Human Factors: ↑Population density & mobility, risky behaviors, altered host susceptibility (e.g., immunosuppression).
  • Environmental Changes: Deforestation, climate change (vector shifts), urbanization, habitat loss (↑human-wildlife interface).
  • Public Health & Governance: Weak surveillance, poor sanitation/hygiene, ↓healthcare access, conflict.
  • Agricultural Practices: Intensive farming, live animal markets, wildlife trade, antimicrobial overuse.

• Zoonotic Spillover: A Simplified Pathway

• Challenges Impeding One Health:
  • Siloed Systems: Poor coordination between human, animal, & environmental health sectors.
  • Resource Gaps: Insufficient funding, workforce, & infrastructure for integrated surveillance & response.
  • Policy & Political Will: Lack of robust policies, enforcement, & sustained commitment.
  • Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): A pervasive threat complicating EID management. ⭐ > Approximately 75% of recently emerging infectious diseases in humans are of animal origin.

One Health in Practice - India's United Front

• Apex Body & Frameworks:
  • National Standing Committee on Zoonoses (NSCZ): Guides policy, inter-sectoral coordination.
  • Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP): Links human & animal health surveillance.
  • National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR).
• Key Programmes & Initiatives:
  • National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP).
  • Programme for Control of Brucellosis.
  • Emerging

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

• One Health: A unified, collaborative approach linking human, animal, and environmental health.
• Core Principle: Recognizes the interdependence of these domains for optimal health outcomes.
• Key threats addressed: Zoonotic diseases (e.g., Rabies, Nipah, KFD), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and food safety.
• Involves multisectoral collaboration: physicians, veterinarians, environmental scientists, and policymakers.
• Crucial for early disease detection, outbreak prevention/response, and AMR containment strategies.
• India's National Action Plan on AMR and zoonoses control programs utilize this approach_._