College of Medicine and Health Sciences
Institute of Public Health
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety
One Health (EnvH-4088)
(3rd Year EHS Students)
Power Point Presentation on: Introduction to One Health
By
Tadesse Guadu (PhD)
August 14, 2024
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Learning objectives
At the end of this chapter, student will be able to:
To define One Health
To introduce the concept and history of One Health
To explain the approach/multi-disciplinary nature of One Health, and
To describe the core components of One Health
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What is One Health?
One Health
A concept that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of
animals and our shared environment
People, animals, and environment are closely connected to each other
Movement of diseases from animals to humans can be influenced by changes in
the environment they share
An approach to looking at new diseases and other adverse health events by taking a
holistic viewpoint that considers humans, animals & environment with consequences
One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and trans-disciplinary approach
Working at the local, regional, national, and global levels
With the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection
between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
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Common One Health Issues
One Health issues include emerging, re-emerging, and endemic zoonotic diseases,
neglected tropical diseases, vector-borne diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety
and food security, environmental contamination, climate change and other health
threats shared by people, animals, and the environment
Zoonotic diseases
o Zoonotic disease risks from wildlife, livestock, and pets
o >75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic
o >60% of human pathogens are zoonotic
o Most agents of bioterrorism are zoonotic
o Beyond zoonoses: Disease processes across species are shared
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Common One Health Issues…Cont’d
Antimicrobial-resistant germs can quickly spread through communities, the food
supply, healthcare facilities, and the environment (soil, water), making it harder to
treat certain infections in animals and people
Vector-borne diseases are on the rise with warmer temperatures and expanded
mosquito and tick habitats
Diseases in food animals can threaten supplies, livelihoods, and economies
The human-animal bond can help improve mental well-being
Contamination of water used for drinking, recreation, and more can make people
and animals sick
Even the fields of chronic disease, mental health, injury, occupational health, and
noncommunicable diseases can benefit from the concept and approach of One
Health, which involves collaboration across disciplines and sectors.
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One Health Approach
One Health is gaining recognition globally as an effective way to fight health issues
at the human-animal-environment interface, including zoonotic diseases
Successful public health interventions require the cooperation of human, animal,
and environmental health partners
Professionals in human health, animal health, environment, and other areas of
expertise need to communicate, collaborate on, and coordinate activities
Other relevant players in a One Health approach could include law enforcement,
policymakers, agriculture, communities, and even pet owners
No one person, organization, or sector can address issues at the animal-human-
environment interface alone.
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One Health Approach…Cont’d
The One Health approach can:
Prevent outbreaks of zoonotic disease in animals and people
Improve food safety and security
Reduce antimicrobial-resistant infections and improve human and animal health
Protect global health security
Protect biodiversity and conservation
o By promoting collaboration across all sectors, a One Health approach can achieve
the best health outcomes for people, animals, and plants in a shared environment.
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Concept and History
The concept of one health is not new (known since 18th), but it has become more
important in recent years (20th century). This is because many factors have changed
interactions between people, animals, plants, and our environment
Human populations are growing and expanding into new geographic areas. As a
result, more people live in close contact with wild and domestic animals, both
livestock and pets. Close contact with animals and their environments provides more
opportunities for diseases to pass between animals and people.
The earth has experienced changes in climate and land use, such as deforestation and
intensive farming practices. Disruptions in environmental conditions and habitats can
provide new opportunities for diseases to pass to animals.
The movement of people, animals, and animal products has increased from
international travel and trade. As a result, diseases can spread quickly across borders
and around the globe.
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Concept and History…Cont’d
Consequently, these changes have led to the spread of existing or known (endemic)
and new or emerging zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that can spread between
animals and people. Examples: Ebola, Avian Influenza, West Nile virus infection,
etc.
Animals also share our susceptibility to some diseases and environmental hazards.
Because of this, they can sometimes serve as early warning signs of potential human
illness.
Example: birds often die of West Nile virus before people in the same area get sick
with West Nile virus infection.
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Components of One Health
Most commonly, One Health consists of the triad of components
Human health
Animal health, and
Environment health, but it is often neglected
Sometimes, One Health is known as One World. In this broader context, one health
have four components;
o Geographical component: The effect of globalization of animals and animal
products trade and the need for a supranational approach
o Ecological component: The role of wildlife, environmental factors in the spread
and maintenance of infections
o Human activities component: The integration between human and animal
health, and the necessity to follow a multi-disciplinary approach
o Food-agricultural component: The need for a comprehensive view over the
whole production chain, following a farm to fork approach.
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Components of One Health…Cont’d
Table 1. Relevance of the four components of ‘One World – One Health’ (OWOH) in
some selected diseases
OWOH components
Geogra Ecolog Human Food-
phical ical activities agricult
ure
Malaria No Yes No No
Gastro- Yes Yes Yes Yes
Enteritis
Human Yes No No No
tuberculosis
Influenza Yes Yes Yes No
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Components of One Health…Cont’d
Not all the components are relevant or have the same
relevance for all diseases
Nonetheless, a number of diseases are influenced in their
epidemiology by more than one component
If we consider, for example, the three main killers
evaluated by the WHO (malaria, gastro-enteric diseases
and human tuberculosis) and the disease that prompted
all the discussion on ‘One world – One health’ (i.e. avian
influenza), we can mark that all the four components we
considered are relevant for the gastro-enteric diseases
In the case of malaria, only the presence of ecological
conditions able to favor vector reproduction is relevant
Similarly to malaria, for human tuberculosis (i.e.
tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis), a
single component is relevant (the geographical Figure 1: The concept of One World – One
component and the migration of people following the Health Approach
an k
process of globalization, as a relevant source of disease
spread) Th
ou!!
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