One Health Day

“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.”- US Government. November 3, 2023, marks the eighth annual One Health Day, and is a global campaign that celebrates and brings attention to the need for a One Health approach to address shared health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. Understanding the connections between human health, animals and ecosystems is needed to create a world where humans, animals and the environment thrive together, ensuring a healthier, more sustainable planet for generations to come, say experts. It is against this background that the significance of this day should be commemorated. 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 our planet, its inhabitants and the ecosystems that support life are interconnected. The United Nations (UN) reports that approximately 60 per cent of emerging infectious diseases originate from animals, both wild and domestic. Over the last three decades, more than 30 new human pathogens have emerged, with a staggering 75 per cent originating from animals. As humans tamper with ecosystems, these diseases have more opportunities to evolve and spread. The UN states that from the air humans breathe to the water they drink, from the animals people interact with, to the ecosystems they depend on, nature provides the foundation for healthy lives. From forests to oceans, these ecosystems are home to countless species, many of which are essential to pollination, water purification and other vital processes. Additionally, non-communicable diseases are further exacerbated by the climate crisis, amplifying cardiovascular and respiratory diseases due to increasing extreme heat and wildfire episodes. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors. The main types of NCD are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes. As the international community observes One Health Day, we are mindful of new and emerging diseases that continue to negatively impact us. As a result there is an urgent call on world leaders to increase political commitment and research in all the avenues necessary to prevent and tackle common threats affecting the health and well-being of humans, animals, plants and environment together. Happy One Health Day. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #OneHealthDay