The One Health Series

Did you know that Antimicrobial Resistance has been declared one of the top 10 public health threats facing humanity? 1 According to the UK O’Neill’s Commission 2016, Antimicrobial infections cause close to 700,000 deaths each year and it is estimated to become the leading cause of deaths globally by the year 2050. 2   What are Antimicrobials? Antimicrobials are drugs or medicines (antivirals, antifungals, antiparasitics) that are used in the treatment and prevention of infections caused by microorganisms. They can be used in treating either plants, animals or human beings 1 . Photo Credit: PIXTA   What is Antimicrobial Resistance? According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, antimicrobial resistance refers to the ability of microorganisms to resist or overcome the presence of drugs or medicines are manufactured to kill them 3 . Due to the resistance, antimicrobials become ineffective and it makes infections harder or even impossible to treat, incr...

What is it? A zoonosis is any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from animals to humans 1 . It is estimated that, 60% of known infectious diseases and up to 75% of new or emerging infectious diseases are of zoonotic origin 2, 3 . It is  estimated that, 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million human deaths worldwide each year is associated with zoonosis 4 .   How do they spread? Zoonotic diseases are caused by many different pathogens 5 . Most often than not, humans are accidental or spill-over hosts of a disease-ecological cycle sustained by animal hosts 6 .    Zoonotic diseases are usually spread at the human-animal-environment interface; where people and animals interact with each other in their shared environment. Zoonotic diseases can be foodborne, waterborne, or vector-borne, or transmitted through direct contact with animals, or indirectly by fomites or environmental contamination 7 .   Photo Credit: MDPI   There are over 2...

The progress and sustenance of the earth is dependent on a symbiotic relationship between humans, animals, and the environment that we share; we are interconnected 1 . It is increasingly clear that resolution of complex global health problems requires interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral expertise and cooperation from governmental, nongovernmental and educational agencies 2 .    Photo Credit: NC State College of Veterinary Medicine - NC State University     The One Health High Level Expert Panel defines One health as  “an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.”  The notion that everything is connected in this world is not new. However, to respond to the current challenges that the world is facing, the integrated vision that humans, animals, and the environment are linked is more important than ever.  Benefits of One Health. According to the Center for Disease Control (...

Heyyy, there!! Welcome to the One Health Series platform. In recent times pandemics and other global crisis have taught us that we do not and cannot live in isolation. Our lives as humans are directly and indirectly affected by animals (wild and domestic) and our shared environment, and vice-versa. To this end, the need to revisit the concept of ONE HEALTH in the discharge of our daily preoccupations and in the training of scientists (physicians, veterinarians, microbiologists, environmental scientists, nurses etc.) has become more paramount.  The implementation of a holistic approach (One Health) through collaborative and concerted efforts from all stakeholders is key to achieving optimum health. As stated as one of the major highlights at the Prince Mahidol Conference 2013, “One Health is like a symphony - it takes each individual player to make it work.” Join us on this journey as we digest, discuss, educate ourselves and give ourselves advice on topical one health issues ...