Implementing a One Health approach to emerging infectious disease: reflections on the socio-political, ethical and legal dimensions

Abstract

Background‘One Health’ represents a call for health researchers and practitioners at the human, animal and environmental interfaces to work together to mitigate the risks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). A One Health approach emphasizing inter-disciplinary co-operation is increasingly seen as necessary for effective EID control and prevention. There are, however, socio-political, ethical and legal challenges, which must be met by such a One Health approach.DiscussionBased on the philosophical review and critical analysis of scholarship around the theory and practice of One Health it is clear that EID events are not simply about pathogens jumping species barriers; they are comprised of complex and contingent sets of relations that involve socioeconomic and socio-political drivers and consequences with the latter extending beyond the impact of the disease. Therefore, the effectiveness of policies based on One Health depends on their implementation and alignment with or modification of public values.SummaryDespite its strong motivating rationale, implementing a One Health approach in an integrated and considered manner can be challenging, especially in the face of a perceived crisis. The effective control and prevention of EIDs therefore requires: (i) social science research to improve understanding of how EID threats and responses play out; (ii) the development of an analytic framework that catalogues case experiences with EIDs, reflects their dynamic nature and promotes inter-sectoral collaboration and knowledge synthesis; (iii) genuine public engagement processes that promote transparency, education and capture people’s preferences; (iv) a set of practical principles and values that integrate ethics into decision-making procedures, against which policies and public health responses can be assessed; (v) integration of the analytic framework and the statement of principles and values outlined above; and (vi) a focus on genuine reform rather than rhetoric.

Zika in Singapore: insights from One Health and social medicine

“…OH is an ethical, ecological approach that takes into consideration justice and respect for human and animal populations as well as the environment. (1)(2)(3) This approach considers the wider social and environmental factors that shape disease transmission, and helps us to identify three populations that are particularly vulnerable but may be overlooked in this scenario: transient foreign workers, their sexual partners and local monkey populations.…”

One Health training and research activities in Western Europe

“…Also, previous studies show limited medical representation in One Health and infectious disease publications (49, 50). One Health mainly discusses collaborations between human and animal health issues at present but other disciplines, such as environmental and social sciences, should also be integrated (7, 51–53). These partnerships currently only represent a minor share of the One Health research community.…”

Ancient oncogenesis, infection and human evolution

“…Current assessments of global evidence for prehistoric disease vectors and pathogens are providing increasingly informed perspectives on the range of pathogenic species and their geographic origins, and the phylogenetic relationships of extant pathogens suggest that many infectious diseases have been coevolving with humans for millennia (Houldcroft & Underdown, ). However, as a result of the fact that an integrated “One Health” approach, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health (Degeling et al., ; Gibbs, ), has not been applied to prehistoric human populations, current disease prevalence models provide inadequate information concerning the diseases that infected our sub‐Saharan African ancestors. Given the long evolutionary association between humans and pathogens in sub‐Saharan Africa, the systematic examination of disease organisms derived from prehistoric African contexts is essential.…”