scholarly journals Corals as canaries in the coalmine: towards the incorporation of marine ecosystems into the ‘One Health’ concept

Author(s):  
Michael Sweet ◽  
Mark Bulling ◽  
Alfred Burian

‘One World – One Health’ is a developing concept which aims to explicitly incorporate linkages between the environment and human society in order to facilitate optimising aspects of health. Historically, work has concentrated on aspects of disease, in particular on emerging zoonoses, with a focus on terrestrial systems. Here we argue that the marine environment is a crucial component of the ‘One World – One Health’ framework, and that coral reefs are the epitome of its underlying philosophy, providing vast contributions to a wide range of ecosystem services with strong and direct links to human society. Further, the sensitivity of corals to climate change, and the current emergence of a wide range of diseases, make coral reefs ideal systems for studying in order to develop our understanding of the links, impacts, and feedback mechanisms that can affect human and ecosystem health. There are well established protocols for monitoring corals and global networks of researchers, but there are substantial challenges in studying these ecosystems. We explore these challenges and conclude with a look at how developing technology offers ways of addressing them in the future. A greater integration of coral reef research into the ‘One World – One Health’ framework will enrich our understanding of the complex links within and between ecosystems and human society, supporting the development of measures for improving the health of both humans and the environment.

Author(s):  
Andrea Springer ◽  
Antje Glass ◽  
Julia Probst ◽  
Christina Strube

AbstractAround the world, human health and animal health are closely linked in terms of the One Health concept by ticks acting as vectors for zoonotic pathogens. Animals do not only maintain tick cycles but can either be clinically affected by the same tick-borne pathogens as humans and/or play a role as reservoirs or sentinel pathogen hosts. However, the relevance of different tick-borne diseases (TBDs) may vary in human vs. veterinary medicine, which is consequently reflected by the availability of human vs. veterinary diagnostic tests. Yet, as TBDs gain importance in both fields and rare zoonotic pathogens, such as Babesia spp., are increasingly identified as causes of human disease, a One Health approach regarding development of new diagnostic tools may lead to synergistic benefits. This review gives an overview on zoonotic protozoan, bacterial and viral tick-borne pathogens worldwide, discusses commonly used diagnostic techniques for TBDs, and compares commercial availability of diagnostic tests for humans vs. domestic animals, using Germany as an example, with the aim of highlighting existing gaps and opportunities for collaboration in a One Health framework.


2017 ◽  
Vol 181 (23) ◽  
pp. 626-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rojan Dahal ◽  
Atul Upadhyay ◽  
Benjamin Ewald

One Health is a concept which fosters collaborative relationships between human health, animal health and environmental health partners. Diseases are emerging and re-emerging in South Asia due to poor sanitation, close proximity of people to livestock, deforestation, porous borders, climate change, changes in human behaviour and unhygienic food preparation and consumption practices. This review was completed in two stages. First, we conducted a review of peer-reviewed literature and grey literature available in Google search engine related to One Health in four countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal). Second, we used a structured questionnaire completed by the key stakeholders working on One Health for the collection of information related to the challenges in implementing One Health. Most of the One Health activities in South Asia are determined by donor preferences. Bangladesh and India did considerable work in advancing One Health with limited support from the government agencies. Weak surveillance mechanisms, uncertain cost-effectiveness of One Health compared with the existing approach, human resources and laboratory capacity are some of the factors hindering implementation of the One Health concept. Implementation of One Health is growing in the South Asia region with limited or no government acceptance. To institutionalise it, there is a need for leadership, government support and funding.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceren Varer Akpinar ◽  
Seyfi Durmaz

Abstract Objectives One Health approach to health considers human, animal, and ecosystem health as a whole and advocates cooperation across disciplines to reach the highest level of health. The aim of the study is to determine the attitudes of the medical interns’ toward the One Health approach and to evaluate related factors. Methods This cross-sectional study targeted all interns of the Faculty of Medicine of 2019–2020 academic year (n=356). Sociodemographic characteristics, health status, habits, and attitudes toward One Health were asked in the questionnaire, which was created by the researchers using the literature. The study data were collected based on self-report during occupational health and safety training, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were also performed. Results The study group included a fair gender distribution (47.8% female), and the average age was 23.6 ± 1.2. Out of the 316 participants, 40.2% had not heard the One Health concept before. In total, 85.4% of them declared a positive attitude toward the concept. The probability of high attitude was found to be 5.03 times (95% CI 1.10–23.12) higher in those with above-average success status and 4.08 times (95% CI 1.15–14.52) higher in those who had kept animals. In students’ responses to the attitude questionnaire items, the epidemic sub-dimension had the highest level as 86.1%, and the antibiotic resistance sub-dimension had the lowest level as 77.2%. Conclusions The current study revealed that the awareness on One Health concept among medical interns is limited, however, students’ attitudes are positive. Recent SARS-CoV 2 pandemic showed us the urgent need for proper implementation of’ One Health approach in the medical education curriculum. Meanwhile, One Health focused courses should be introduced into the curriculum of final year medicine and related programs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Selbach ◽  
Maarten P. M. Vanhove ◽  
Kim Nørgaard Mouritsen

The One Health concept offers an integrative approach to disease and health at the human-animal-environment interface. It has often been suggested to view the COVID-19 outbreak within this framework to better understand and mitigate this global crisis. Here, we discuss how the evolutionary ecology of host-pathogen systems can add a valuable additional perspective to the debate around SARS-CoV-2 and its implications for public health awareness and policy-making. In this context, it is especially important to highlight that changes in nature, such as zoonotic spillover events, are often irreversible, and that humans, while deeply embedded in ecosystems, are intricate ecosystems themselves. A better recognition of the complex biology and evolution of human-parasite interactions will assist our understanding of such zoonoses.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-120
Author(s):  
Andrea Győrffy ◽  
Ákos Jozwiak

Public health belongs to the “One Health” umbrella. As military veterinary medicine evolved, it became embedded in national security. Many armed forces still have active veterinary services, both regular and reserve components. The military veterinarian can serve as an interface between civilians and civil organizations, can handle complex and interdisciplinary cases. Introducing the “One Health” concept both in practice and education has encountered many difficulties. Over time, “One Health” has been judged to be a “buzz word” in civilian areas; however, it is a weighty concept. Its importance is pronounced in military areas where practicing along One Health principles were present before the appearance of the term itself. Nevertheless, military “One Health” has not penetrated into the overwhelming “One Health” literature. Emphasizing the military aspects of One Health not only reveals an obscure corner but might help to regain the proper importance of the “One Health” concept.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatjana Vilibić-Čavlek ◽  
Dejan Vidanović ◽  
Ljubo Barbić ◽  
Pavle Jeličić ◽  
Sava Lazić ◽  
...  

West Nile virus (WNV) danas je jedan od najrasprostranjenijih arbovirusa. U posljednja se dva desetljeća WNV infekcije kontinuirano pojavljuju na području Europe u obliku manjih ili većih epidemija i epizootija. U ovom preglednom radu prikazujemo epidemiološke značajke WNV infekcija koje su dokazane na području Hrvatske i Srbije u kontekstu “Jednog zdravlja”. Prikazani rezultati potvrđuju značaj multidisciplinarne i regionalne suradnje u dijagnostici i praćenju ove (re-)emergentne virusne zoonoze.


Author(s):  
Delphine Destoumieux-Garzón ◽  
Patrick Mavingui ◽  
Gilles Boetsch ◽  
Jérôme Boissier ◽  
Frédéric Darriet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document