“A One Health approach makes public health sense, economic sense and common sense….It’s obvious that we can only protect and promote the health of humans by protecting and promoting the health of animals, and the planet on which all life depends”. - Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
The greatest challenges which the planet and humanity are facing in current times are a direct result of the health impacts of food safety, climate crisis and the ever increasing outbreaks of diseases. $3 trillion losses each year and 7 million human deaths are caused by air pollution alone. About five million human deaths are caused each year due to antimicrobial resistance related issues which results in an economic loss of about $100 trillion by 2050.
In the 30 new human pathogens that have been recognized and detected in the past three decades, a huge 75 per cent of them have originated in animals. Around 60 percent of the globally reported emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses as per the report of World Health Organisation. As per the estimates millions of deaths occur each year due to zoonoses and about a billion cases of illnesses arise due to the same.
The facts and the figures clearly communicate that the primary determinant of human health is biodiversity. As per the statistics 24 per cent of the overall global burden of diseases are a result of degradation of the environment. As per the WHO factsheet on Climate Change 3.6 billion people are already living in areas which are highly prone to the ill effects of climate change. It further states that between 2030 and 2050 climate change can approximately cause 2,50,000 more deaths per year from heat stress, malaria, diarrhoea and undernutrition. It is clear that climate change is directly having an impact on the health workforce and infrastructure which in turn is reducing our capacity to supply Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The Covid-19 pandemic which shook the world in 2019 was an eye opener for one and all. It forced the world community of leaders and policymakers to wake up from their slumber and work towards building an integrated health care system which included prevention and early detection of such public health emergencies. In 2022 alone six million human deaths were caused due to Covid-19 and the estimated economic loss was more than $3.5 trillion.
The concept of One Health is an approach which aims to optimise the health of humans, animals and environment and also recognizes the interdependence among them. The World Health Organisation, World Organization for Animal Health, Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme entered into Quadripartite Memorandum of Understanding in March 2022. The Memorandum, in its Article 3, enunciates the initial areas which would require the cooperation and work from the parties to the memorandum. The areas of cooperation are Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), emerging endemic zoonotic diseases and sharing information database with respect to that and last but not the least strengthening of the healthcare systems.
According to the Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on Health and Environment update (2024), 24 per cent of the deaths that are estimated to be caused by environmental risks to health are preventable. It emphasizes the importance and urgency of taking preventative actions for controlling diseases by creating healthier environments. The Indian government, in its 21st Meeting of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council, had shown initiative for upholding the principles of one health approach by setting up a National One Health mission with a cross- ministerial effort. Implementation of integrated Disease and Environment surveillance along with developing robust outbreak investigation mechanisms are part of the efforts which have been undertaken in the National One Health Mission. The government has been continuously involved in the exercise of identifying the gaps between the diseases of One Health priorities and their corresponding available interventions which is being kept as an updated live database for any future purposes. The government is further engaged in mapping all the active and passive disease surveillance programmes across various sectors.
The mapping of the laboratory capabilities of the existing and upcoming Biological Safety Levels are also being undertaken for better understanding of the current infrastructure and capacity building for the future emerging pandemic and the routine disease control.
The Centre for One Health has been instrumental in implementation of four National Health Programs which include National Rabies Control Program, National One Health Programme for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming and Program for Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis. Apart from the initiation of the above mentioned programs the centre is also actively involved in training, research, outbreak investigations, teaching for epidemic intelligent service and Regional Field Epidemiology Training Programme which are undertaken in collaboration of various divisions of National Center for Disease Control. Despite the huge strides being made by the Indian government for the integration of the one health concept in our policy framework there are persistent challenges in its implementation. One of the foremost problems can be attributed to the lack of awareness about zoonotic diseases among the population who are handling animals and the public in general. Solving this would require persistent cooperation of animal, human and environmental health partners and professionals. By promoting collaboration across all sectors one health approach can become an achievable dream.
Recently, the Centre for One Health National Centre for Disease Control and Directorate General of Health services organized the National Consultation on Legal Environment Assessment for One Health activities in India in June 2024. The consultation brainstormed the legal and policy perspectives of One Health including Zoonoses, Antimicrobial Resistance, food borne illness, Biosafety and Security, Climate Change and Health etc. It was further reiterated that the current Indian legal framework with its separate laws for environment protection, laws for human and animal health has some gaps due to sectoral priorities. State engagement, alignment of local laws with international laws and cross –sectoral response are of utmost importance for ensuring the achievement of One Health Goals.
In addition to the above, other measures which can be taken for implementation of the One Health Goals can be reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for overall protection of environment, reduction of deforestation and reducing the overexploitation of the natural habitats of animals. Combating the illegal wildlife trade and promotion of sustainable, safe and legal use of wildlife also plays a major role in promoting the one health approach. At this juncture it is of utmost importance to promote green financing and include it in the regulatory framework of the country by harmonizing the public financial incentives and aligning and integrating the financial decision making with the environmental dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The recently held G20 Summit 2023 under the able leadership of the Prime Minister had an overarching theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future”. The Theme was inspired by the rich cultural and philosophical Indian concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ which is being practiced in our country since ancient Vedic times. It means that the ‘world is one family’. The very essence of this concept lies in the fact that it promotes the interconnectedness in the world and how we all depend on each other for our survival and well -being. The principle resonates very closely to the concept of One Health Approach and it shows the roots of our Commitment and understanding to the concept. The words of UNEP Executive Director Inger Anderson is how the world should think of working on One Health, “The Joint Plan of Action will drive down health risks through an integrated approach to human, animal and environment health”
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