The authors discuss 'One Health' approaches for controlling newly recognised and re-emerging diseases of animal origin and contributions towards pandemic preparedness based on enhanced collaboration between Veterinary Services, Human Health Services and Environmental Services. Improved veterinary governance and cooperation with public health managers, social scientists, ecologists and many other stakeholders are important for reducing the risks of potential zoonoses-including foodborne diseases-at their source. Two case studies are presented to illustrate how One Health approaches can make a difference-Hendra disease incidents in Australia and rabies management on the African continent. This article also includes an overview of collaboration at the international level between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the World Health Organization. Environmental determinants for disease emergence, anthropogenic climate change and human encroachment on shrinking wildlife habitats are considered, using highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) and Nipah virus as examples. Finally, the authors discuss the effects of livestock production on environmental change-in the light of global population growth and increasing demand for livestock and aquaculture products-with the need for future policy decisions to be based on a multidisciplinary One Health approach.

‘One Health’ is a global movement of practitioners and policy-makers to support a better understanding of the ecology of diseases at the animal–human–ecosystem interface. Globally, diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 HPAI) have resulted in significant human fatalities, animal deaths and multi-billion dollar impacts. Several recent disease events in Australia also highlight the complexity of these issues including outbreaks of Hendra virus in Queensland and northern New South Wales resulting in four human fatalities and dozens of horse deaths. At a broader level, Australia faces ongoing challenges with infectious diseases such as air-borne influenza, antibiotic resistant diseases and food-borne disease outbreaks which have regular impacts on public health. The complexity surrounding transmission of diseases at the animal–human–ecosystem interface highlights the need for multidisciplinary approaches – known as One Health approaches. While there has been some progress with advocacy of One Health in Australia, stronger political will is needed to break down sectoral and disciplinary silos and to enable more effective measures at the operational level.