One Health

Connecting human, animal, and environmental health

One Health is an approach that recognizes that people's health is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment. Although One Health is not new, it has become more important in recent years because many factors have changed interactions between people, animals, plants, and our environment. Click the image to enlarge.

• 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. Animals play an important role in our lives, whether for food, fiber, livelihoods, travel, sport, education, or companionship. Close contact with animals and their environments allows diseases to pass between animals and people.
• The earth has experienced climate and land use changes, such as deforestation and intensive farming practices. Disruptions in environmental conditions and habitats can allow diseases to pass to animals.
• International travel and trade have increased the movement of people, animals, and animal products. As a result, diseases can spread quickly across borders and around the globe.

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.

Common 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.

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.