One Health and Emerging Zoonotic Diseases: Infections Affecting Humans & Animals

April 22, 2024

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One Health and Emerging Zoonotic Diseases: Infections Affecting Humans & Animals

Abstract

The entire globe fought against the deadly disease-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS CoV 2) for 2 years. The emergence of this zoonoses in December 2019 from a wet live animal market in Wuhan in China proved the deficit of controlling the severe zoonotic disease globally that took away millions of lives.

Many of the same microbes infect animals and humans, as they share the ecosystem they live in. Efforts in one sector cannot prevent or eliminate the problem. Because of the globalisation and interconnectedness in the entire world, a threat against a disease in a particular place is a threat worldwide. More than 75% of emerging disease pathogens are zoonotic. Owing to the spread of emerging and re-emerging diseases in the world for the past three decades, it is crucial for a collaborative approach like the One health programme. One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. The One Health approach is particularly relevant for food and water safety, nutrition, the control of zoonoses, pollution management and combatting antimicrobial resistance.

Key Words

One health concept; WHO & OHHLEP; zoonosis: – diseases and its deteriorating effects on society; India’s approach, Global Initiative

Introduction-Basic concept of One health

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 recognising the interdependence between humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment (CDC, USA).
WHO – The One Health definition developed by the OHHLEP (One health high level expert panel) states: ‘One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are intricately linked and inter-dependent. The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, acting on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development.
The One Health approach is particularly relevant for food and water safety, nutrition, the control of zoonoses (diseases that can spread between animals and humans, such as flu, rabies, and Rift Valley fever), pollution management, and combatting antimicrobial resistance (the emergence of microbes that are resistant to antibiotics).

Need and Benefits – Why One Health is essential?

Many of the same microbes infect animals and humans, as they share the ecosystem they live in. Efforts in one sector cannot prevent or eliminate the problem.
For instance, Rabies in humans is effectively prevented only by targeting the animal source of virus (i.e. by vaccination of dogs).
The diseases of animal origin are multidimensional. Zoonoses are endemic (leptospirosis, rabies, hydatidosis, taeniasis, KFD) and epidemic-prone (Japanese encephalitis, plague, Nipah, avian flu, MERS). Food-borne pathogens (Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter, E. coli), PHEIC and pandemics (influenza, SARS, COVID-19, Zika) and their causative agents can also be used to deliberately harm the human health (agents for bioterrorism or biowarfare e.g., Yersinia pestis, Bacillus anthracis, etc).
Because of the globalisation and interconnectedness in the entire world, a threat against a disease in a particular place is a threat worldwide. The high rise in the emerging and re-emerging zoonoses are a Bane of the increasing interaction among human, animals, and environment due to elevated level of urbanisation, destruction of animal’s natural habitat, various forms of pollution, several natural calamities and disasters, global warming, and climate change.
Extensive and irrational use of antibiotics, especially in the livestock sector for increasing yield and preventing diseases, causes emergence and selection of resistant pathogens. These spread through animal-human interaction or food chain.
Wildlife habitat fragmentation due to increasing infrastructural developments, decreasing biodiversity have inhibited the limitedness of the pathogens and the host vector interaction.
More than 75% of emerging disease pathogens are zoonotic: 60% of them spread from domestic or wild animals to humans, and 80% are of concern regarding bioterrorism. Worldwide, these emerging zoonoses account for 2.5 billion cases and 2.7 billion death each year.
In addition to this, the amount of food borne diseases due to various pathogens (salmonellosis, pasteurellosis etc) have acutely increased. Food safety challenges have arisen from changes in food patterns, population growth, increasing meat consumption, globalization of food trade.
Consumption of contaminated food causes foodborne illness and death of 600 million and 400,000 people, respectively, each year. Hence, food safety assurance is of utmost need globally through a multi sectorial approach.

Thus, this complex interconnectedness can be addressed upon only by the one health approach.

Benefits of One Health in abstract –

One Health can have the following benefits:

Reduce potential threats at the human-animal-environment interface to control diseases that spread between animals and humans.
Tackle anti-microbial resistance (AMR).
Ensure food safety.
Prevent environment-related health threats to humans and animals.
Protect biodiversity.

Who makes the one health approach work?

Many professionals with a range of expertise are active in different sectors such as public health, animal health and the environment are involved and working together on a combined approach.

International organisations like World Health Organisation along with World Organisation for Animal Health (formerly OIE, founded in 1924 for coordinating, supporting, and promoting animal disease control), CDC (centre for disease control and prevention), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) have their contributions in the One health programme.

One health programme in India-

National Centre for disease control under MHFW GOI has implemented the Centre for One Health.
- The Centre for One Health implements three National Health Programs, these are:

National Rabies Control Program
National One Health Programme for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses
Program for Prevention and Control of Leptospirosis
Program for prevention and control of snakebite
Apart from these programs, the division is also identified as-
- The division is regularly conducting Outbreak Investigations in collaboration with State Nodal Officers of IDSP
- Teachings
- Trainings (PGs, MPH, EIS Program)

Covid pandemic, recent outbreaks of Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle and the constant threat of Avian Influenza show that it is not just about addressing diseases from human health point of view (zoonosis), but we need to address the livestock and wildlife aspects. The Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) in its 21st meeting, approved to set up a National One Health Mission with a cross-ministerial effort which will serve to coordinate, support, and integrate all the existing One Health activities in the country and fill gaps where it is appropriate.

The Government of India decided to set up a dedicated centre under ICMR to contain zoonotic diseases — the Centre for One Health at Nagpur and constituted a ‘National Expert Group on One Health’ to promote multi-sectoral, transdisciplinary, collaboration and co-operation to adopt and implement a One Health framework in India.

Global initiatives for one health –

One Health High-Level Expert Panel

End May 2021, the One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) was launched with 26 selected key international experts. The OHHLEP has an advisory role to the Partners and is expected to provide advice to the Partners to support their provision of evidence-based scientific and policy advice to address the challenges raised by One Health. [8]

The Quadripartite Collaboration (FAO/UNEP/WHO/WOAH) is an umbrella strategic coordination mechanism addressing all spectrum of One Health. It was set up to work towards “A world capable of preventing, detecting, containing, eliminating, and responding to animal and public health risks attributable to zoonoses and animal diseases with an impact on food security through multi-sectoral cooperation and strong partnerships.”
The CDC(USA) has started various action plans to control various disease like-
- Rift valley fever in Africa.
- lead poisoning investigation in Nigeria.
- influenza education to youths.
- brucellosis in Uzbekistan.
- collaboration in China for stepwise approach to rabies elimination (SARE) by 2030.

Conclusion

Owing to the spread of emerging and re-emerging diseases in the world for the past three decades, it is crucial for a collaborative approach like the One health programme. It brings forward the doctors, veterinarians, scientists to coordinate for the control of the zoonotic outbreaks, food borne illnesses, environmental and biodiversity protection. The research and development sector of our country should focus on improvising various aspects related to ‘one health concept,’ because we are having the highest population both in human and livestock. By focussing on one health approach, it will help in boosting our economy not only by proper utilising the livestock sector, but also utilising the human resources in a better way.

Lastly in a global context, the principle of coexistence can be given moral and ethical importance only by prioritising the one health approach.

References