One Health

Abstract

Our health is irrevocably linked to those of animals and our environment. That is “One Health”. This course will consolidate knowledge on the cause of diseases and the host's different defence mechanisms. Zoonotic diseases will be explored, along side arising issues concerning antibiotic resistance. Finally, the urgent yet challenging need for a multidisciplinary collaboration will be highlighted.

Objective

Students will be able to understand and disseminate the concept of “One Health” regarding the respective different roles of the participating professionals across disciplines. Particularly, students will acquire knowledge on: • infectious agents (bacteria, virus, parasites, prions) and their virulence and contagiousness; • the way particular zoonotic diseases manifest in individual animals and humans; • how zoonotic diseases spread across certain areas and manifest as epidemic or pandemic; • treatment options including preventive actions. Students will be able to critically analyse: • previous zoonotic diseases and the governmental initiates to combat these; • the global implications of the increasing potential for zoonotic diseases. Grades: The final grade will be based on an oral exam at the end of the semester. This will in part emphasize on the group work that was prepared for and conducted in the 2nd semester lecture. Study material: All lecture material will be provided via moodle.

Content

Animals play an important role in the lives of humans across the globe. They provide food, fiber and livelihoods and are kept for travel, sport, education, or companionship. Over the last decades, global climate change and the worldwide land use alterations including deforestation and intensive farming practices have led to disruptions in environmental conditions and habitats that provide new opportunities for diseases to pass to animals. With the human population growing and expanding into geographic areas of former avoidance, more people live in close contact with wild and domestic animals, both livestock and pets. This close contact with animals provides increasing opportunities for zoonotic diseases to pass between animals and people, and to then spread among people. Zoonotic transmission can also occur in any context in which there is contact with or consumption of animals, animal products, or animal derivatives, which is likely in a companionistic (pets), economic (farming, trade, butchering), predatory (hunting, butchering or consuming wild game) or research context. The movement of people, animals, and animal products has increased due to the exponential enhancement of international mobility, travel and trade within the last century. As a result, both animal and human diseases can spread quickly around the globe, making issues of diseases not restricted to national borders. Thus, although the emergence of zoonotic diseases originated with the domestication of animals some thousands of years ago, only lately the spread of both endemic and new or emerging zoonotic diseases is of increasing worldwide concern as there has been a rise in frequency of appearance of new zoonotic diseases. Preventing strategies include hygiene techniques like hand washing, the use of aseptic material, wearing gloves and cooking food. Further treatment options include, but are not limited to vaccinations, the use of antimicrobial substances including antiseptics, disinfectants and antibiotics and pest control. Although antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, it is accelerated by the misuse of antibiotics in human and animal treatments. Thus, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today. Agricultural Sciences, Veterinary medicine, Human Medicine and Environmental Sciences are core disciplines of importance. Professionals from animal (agricultural practitioners and scientists, veterinarians) and human health (doctors, nurses, public health practitioners, epidemiologists) as well as environment disciplines (ecologists, wildlife experts) together with policymakers need to communicate, collaborate on, and coordinate activities for successful public health interventions.

Resources