One Health Newsletter

One Health Newsletter: Volume 13 Issue 2

Micro-Editorial

One Health in Action

Authors

Ellyn Mulcahy, Paige Adams, Helena Chapman, and Jean-Paul Gonzalez.

Nowadays, scientists, journalists, students, and the general public ask and want to know how One Health can be integrated into health efforts, how One Health works, and how One Health has positioned itself during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, in our One Health Newsletter, our contributors try to answer these questions with examples of practical use of a One Health approach from basic to advanced applications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the relevance of a One Health approach to global governance of infectious diseases, including international efforts to prevent and contain zoonotic diseases. Disparities in access to health care, treatment, and public immunization campaigns over the past year highlight the disparities that are associated with these critical actions in the fight against the pandemic. Therefore, it has become clear, and this time for the health of all, that we must identify approaches to reduce barriers and advance social justice to ensure health care security for all citizens of the World.

Of course, it is not the first time that One Health has been called upon to provide solutions that transcend borders. It was apparent during recent outbreaks of Ebola virus disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), as we have reported in previous editions of One Health Newsletter.

To reach this global dimension of One Health, multiple actions have been implemented and engaged locally in a variety of environments to immediately present solutions for an ongoing outbreak, as well as prioritize prevention efforts for future pandemics.

In this edition, we show how various initiatives, based on the One Health concept, are being structured and developed successfully across disciplines and geographies. For example, author Maxwell Amoako shares neurological features of coronavirus infections in “A One Health perspective: COVID-19’s Neuroscientific Aspect”. Similarly, author Patrick Tajanlangit reports on the benefits of bike-sharing programs in “The Relationship between Shared-Biking Programs and the Improved Health of Plants, Animals, and Humans”. Dr. Rishendra Verma writes about the increasing incidence of black fungus infections in India in “COVID-19 Brings Black Fungus to the Lime Light in India”. Authors Megan Eppler and Antoinette Lona provide a timely introduction to an article shared by the One Health Commission on the kickstart of a One Health High Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) at the June 2021 G7 summit, UK. Lastly, in the spirit of One Health education, authors Antoinette Lona, Lauren Davis, Paparwee Sungkatava, Danielle Preskitt and Dr. Justin Kastner share conference proceedings from a recent summer program on Food safety, Public Health & Animal Welfare in terrestrial and aquatic animals held with the Universita Delgi Studi di Padova, Italia.

In summary, the articles published in this edition provide outstanding examples of "One Health in Action" should be a source of encouragement for more of this activity in the future!

Next story: A One Health Perspective: COVID-19’s Neuroscientific Aspect

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