ONE HEALTH
Our vision: health for all
It's time to act
The One Health Initiative is not only a scientific necessity, but also a moral imperative. It calls on us to take responsibility for the health of our planet and all living beings. At a time when our society is facing unprecedented challenges, One Health offers a way to address these challenges holistically and sustainably. It is time for us to strongly support and implement this initiative to ensure a healthier and safer future for all.
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People — Nature — Wildlife
In a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected and at the same time vulnerable as a result of globalization, urbanization and climate change, the concept of One Health is becoming increasingly important. One Health, which recognizes the close connection between human, animal health and our shared environment, offers an inclusive approach to address some of the most pressing health challenges of our time. The relevance of this concept for today's society is not only obvious but also urgently needed.
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Human—animal health
The rise of zoonoses — diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans — is a worrying sign of our time. Epidemics such as SARS, Ebola and the recent COVID-19 pandemic have impressively shown how closely connected our world is and how quickly diseases can spread globally. These crises illustrate the need for a ONE HEALTH approach, which regards the health of people, animals and ecosystems as inseparably linked. Only by working together between different disciplines and sectors can we effectively develop prevention and control measures to prevent future outbreaks and ensure global health.
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People — natural health
In addition, our society faces the challenge of managing the effects of climate change, which threatens not only the environment but also human and animal health. Extreme weather events, destruction of natural habitats and changes in ecosystems create ideal conditions for the spread of infectious diseases. One Health initiatives promote sustainable environmental practices and strengthen community resilience by mitigating the health effects of climate change while protecting biodiversity.
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Human — animal welfare
Another key concern of One Health is combating antibiotic resistance. The excessive and improper use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine has led to the development of multi-resistant germs, which pose a serious threat to global health. One Health promotes responsible use of antibiotics and the development of alternative treatments to maintain the effectiveness of these life-saving drugs and prevent the spread of resistant pathogens.
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People — wildlife — health system
Finally, One Health strengthens healthcare systems by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. The exchange of knowledge and resources between the fields of human medicine, veterinary medicine and environmental sciences creates innovative solutions that enable holistic healthcare. This results in improved disease monitoring and control, faster responsiveness to health crises, and overall more robust global health security.
ONE HEALTH support and networks
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Global initiatives and projects
The World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE, formerly WOAH)
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
The World Bank and its Pandemic Fund
The One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP)
The One Health Coalition
The One Health Platforms
The One Health Commission
The One Health Global Network
The International Federation for Tropical Medicine (editor of ONE HEALTH Journal)
Plus foundations, state organizations and political initiatives
Essentials
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10 essentials for
ONE HEALTH
Holistic understanding
interdependency
sustainability
Prevention of zoonoses
Nutrient-rich diet
Preventing chronic illnesses
animal welfare
Avoiding resistance
Local, seasonal food
Personal health responsibility
Key reasons
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Relevance of the essentials
Due to the complexity of ONE HEALTH relationships, it is important to focus on the essentials at ONE HEALTH in order to ensure the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of this global health strategy. Selecting and focusing on these core aspects enables a targeted and coordinated approach to the complex challenges that arise at the interface of human health, animal health and the environment.
The definition of 10 essentials provides clarity about the most important fields of action and prioritizes them for targeted intervention. This prevents too many initiatives from becoming bogged down and enables focused use of resources aimed at the most urgent health problems.
Resources such as financing, personnel and technological resources are limited. Focusing on the ten key elements allows these resources to be allocated efficiently so that they are used where they can make the biggest difference.
A clearly defined focus on the 10 essentials promotes interdisciplinary collaboration between medical professionals, veterinarians, environmental scientists and other relevant fields. This creates synergies and enables a coherent and coordinated response to health threats.
By focusing on key and strategic areas, the One Health Initiative can develop sustainable solutions that have a long-term effect. Sustainability is achieved by tackling deep-rooted problems at the root rather than just treating the symptoms.
The definition of ten key elements makes it easier to monitor and evaluate progress. With clearly defined goals and metrics, the success of the initiative can be regularly reviewed and necessary adjustments can be made promptly.
By focusing on a limited number of core areas, targeted education and education campaigns can be carried out. This helps to raise public and professional awareness of the essential aspects of One Health.
Focusing on ten clear and essential aspects makes communication with policy makers and advocacy work easier. It is easier to mobilize support and promote policy action when the goals are clear and comprehensible.
A focused approach makes it possible to develop and promote innovative solutions in the identified key areas. This can accelerate the development of new technologies, processes, and policies that specifically address the biggest challenges.
The identification of 10 essentials ensures that the One Health initiative has both global and local relevance. These core areas can be adapted to different regional contexts, ensuring flexible and effective implementation worldwide.
Finally, focusing on 10 essentials promotes a holistic approach that comprehensively takes into account the complex interactions between humans, animals and the environment. This results in integrated solutions that sustainably improve the health of everyone involved.
