One health insights to prevent the next HxNy viral outbreak: learning from the epidemiology of H7N9

Abstract

BackgroundWith an increased incidence of viral zoonoses, there is an impetus to strengthen collaborations between public health, agricultural and environmental departments. This interdisciplinary cooperation, also known as the ‘One Health’ approach, has received significant support from various stakeholders. However, current efforts and policies still fall short of those needed for an effective One Health approach towards disease control and prevention. The avian-origin H7N9 influenza A virus outbreak in China serves as an ideal case study to emphasise this point.DiscussionHere, we present the features and epidemiology of human infections with H7N9 influenza virus. At the early stages of the H7N9 epidemic, there was limited virus surveillance and limited prevention measures implemented in live poultry markets. As a result, zoonotic infections with H7N9 influenza viruses continued to enlarge in both numbers and geographic distribution. It was only after the number of human infections with H7N9 influenza virus spiked in the 5th wave of the epidemic that inter-departmental alliances were formed. This resulted in the rapid control of the number of human infections. We therefore further discuss the barriers that prevented the implementation of an effective One Health approach in China and what this means for other emerging, zoonotic viral diseases.SummaryEffective implementation of evidence-based disease management approaches in China will result in substantial health and economic gains. The continual threat of avian influenza, as well as other emerging zoonotic viral infections, emphasizes the need to remove the barriers that prevent the effective implementation of One Health policies in disease management.

From SARS to COVID-19: A previously unknown SARS- related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) of pandemic potential infecting humans – Call for a One Health approach

“…In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 is continuing to cause global fears, There is an urgent need for the implementation of multidisciplinary One Health to address the current complex health challenges at the human-animal-environment interface [42,43] One Health approaches in China have recently been described [49][50][51][52]. However, the implementation of One Health policies in China is challenged by several barriers [48,51].…”

Analysis of the Codon Usage Pattern of HA and NA Genes of H7N9 Influenza A Virus

“…In addition, the combination of RCDI and CAI analysis further validated the high adaptability of the virus to Gallus gallus . For SiD analysis, the strong selection pressure on Homo sapiens compared with Gallus gallus is indicative of the virus gradually adapting to Homo sapiens , involving new mutations coinciding with huge outbreaks of human infections in the fifth wave in China [ 44 ]. The lower CpG content found in human, especially for HA indicates that there is a strong selection pressure in human [ 45 ].…”

Spatial and temporal clusters of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in humans across five epidemics in mainland China: an epidemiological study of laboratory-confirmed cases

“…To a certain extent, LPM closures were effective in the control of human risk of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus infection (34,35), which was only a temporary measure for not eliminating the source of the infection (34). Inter-departmental alliances and effective implementation of evidence-based disease management were crucial to form One Health in China to control the number of human infections (36).It is necessary to facilitate the capacity to rapidly detect and contain public health threats at their source via risk communication (37).…”