One Health Approach: Guiding the Future

Reference:

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, President of M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization, has emphasized the need for a regulatory agency to address the interrelated issues of public health and environment i.e. One Health in India.

What is One Health Approach:

• One Health approach integrates human, animal and environmental health to deal with various diseases.
• Its objective is to sustainably balance and optimize the health of humans, animals and ecosystems.

• According to this approach, the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants and the wider environment (including ecosystems) is closely interrelated and interdependent.
• This approach contributes to addressing health challenges such as infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food security and promoting ecosystem health through collaboration across all specific sectors such as health, food, water, energy and environment.
• This approach can be implemented at community, regional, national and global levels and relies on shared and effective governance, communication, collaboration and coordination.

Need for One Health Approach:

• Studies suggest that more than two-thirds of existing and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic (transmitted from animals to humans) diseases.
  • In contrast, anthropozoonotic infections are transmitted from humans to animals.
• In recent years, the transboundary impact of infections such as Nipah virus, Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Avian Influenza have reinforced the need for links between environmental, animal and human health.
• Dr. Soumya Swaminathan emphasizes the need for integrated data on animal and human health to address interconnected challenges such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food security.
• In 1856, Rudolf Virchow, the father of modern pathology, emphasized that there is no dividing line between animal and human medicine. This concept has become more important since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Benefits of One Health Approach:

• Built on the interrelationships of humans, animals and the environment, One Health approaches contribute to global health security by helping to address the full spectrum of disease control.
• It will help in preventing future pandemics as well as building more resilient and equitable systems, environments, economies and societies.
• One Health approaches reduce resource requirements across various sectors. Also, it helps researchers to make decisions that help in the development of resilient and sustainable policies.

Global Collaboration and Partnerships

G20 Health Summit Brazil

• The G20 Health Ministerial Declaration on One Health was endorsed at the G20 Brazil Health Summit in 2024.
• It aims to address human, animal, plant and ecosystem health challenges through a holistic framework.
• The declaration provides a framework for global leaders to work towards One Health and a more sustainable future.

G7 Health Ministerial Dialogue:

• The G7 Health Ministerial Dialogue emphasises the importance of the One Health approach in addressing complex global health challenges, particularly antimicrobial resistance and pandemic preparedness.
  • It integrates the human, animal and environmental health sectors.
• It endorses the One Health approach and the One Health Joint Action Plan to tackle future health emergencies.
• The G7 outlines six action tracks that countries can follow to implement the One Health approach. These include:
  • Strengthening One Health capacities to strengthen health systems
  • Reducing the risk of emerging zoonotic pandemics
  • Controlling and eliminating endemic diseases, zoonotic diseases, neglected tropical diseases and vector-borne diseases
  • Strengthening the assessment, management and communication of food safety risks
  • Curbing the epidemic of antimicrobial resistance
  • Integrating the environment into One Health

Delhi Declaration on One Health:

• India has underlined the importance of One Health in uniting global health and sustainability during its G-20 Presidency.
• The New Delhi Declaration during the G-20 in September 2023 agrees on a global commitment to strengthen health systems and preparedness with a key focus on the One Health approach.
  

Declaration of the United Nations General Assembly:

• The declaration of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2023 aimed to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
• The declaration recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health and the need for a coordinated approach across sectors to tackle health threats.
• Recognizing the interdependence of animal, human and environmental health, the declaration lays the groundwork for a more holistic approach to preventing future pandemics.

ASEAN Declaration on the One Health Initiative:

• ASEAN leaders announced the One Health Approach initiative in May 2023 to tackle health threats in the region. 
• The declaration emphasises collaboration and coordination across human health, animal health and plant health as well as environmental agencies.
• It acknowledges the need for a multi-stakeholder approach involving governments, non-governmental organisations and international partners.

India’s vision on One Health

National One Health Mission

• In July 2022, the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Science, Technology and Innovation recommended the creation of a ‘One Health Mission’ to coordinate, support and integrate all existing One Health activities in the country.
• In line with this recommendation, the ‘National One Health Mission’ was launched to bring together various ministries and departments to build integrated disease prevention as well as control and pandemic preparedness systems for the country across human, animal, plant and environment sectors.
• Its key pillars include:
  • Technology enabling integrated surveillance in human, animal and wildlife habitats
  • A national network of biosafety level-3 laboratories to investigate disease outbreaks/epidemics
  • Integrated research and development in related areas

Global partnerships:

India’s ‘One Health’ approach is based on an agreement between the Tripartite-Plus Alliance which includes the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Organization for Animal Health, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme. It is supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank under the ‘One World, One Health’ initiative.

One Health Infrastructure Development and Schemes:

• India established a National Standing Committee on Zoonosis in the 1980s itself. A ‘One Health Centre’ has also been established in Nagpur.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying of India has launched several schemes to reduce the spread of animal diseases since the year 2015.
  • Under the National Animal Disease Control Program, ₹13,343 crore has been sanctioned for the control of foot and mouth disease and brucellosis.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has established the One Health Support Unit in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Emphasis on capacity building:

• The central government is providing assistance to the states for programs like animal disease control with the aim of building capacity for veterinarians and upgrading the animal health diagnostic system.
  • Under this, the focus has been on vaccination for diseases circulating in areas such as livestock and poultry.
  •  For this, assistance will be provided to state organic production units and disease diagnostic laboratories.
• In India, 97% of cases of rabies infection in humans are caused by dogs. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has partnered with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the National Action Plan to eliminate dog rabies. 
  • The initiative aims to promote regular vaccination of dogs and public education to make the country rabies free.

Challenges faced by One Health System:

• Shortage of veterinarians
• Lack of information sharing between human and animal health institutions
• Lack of adequate attention to food safety in slaughterhouses, distribution facilities and retail facilities

Suggestions:

• Integration of existing animal health and disease surveillance systems
• Develop best practice guidelines for the operation of informal slaughterhouses
• Develop mechanisms to operationalise ‘One Health’ at the village level