The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to rethink our approach to health. Today, the concept of “One Health,” which connects human, animal, and environmental health, has gained prominence in discussions, but is sometimes confused or misinterpreted. When properly implemented, it is a proven concept to enhance global health prevention.
Urbanization is increasing, leading to more shared habitats between humans and wildlife. This interaction can promote the transmission of zoonotic diseases like Ebola and Lassa Fever.
The “One Health” approach, originating from the principles of Manhattan in 2004, recognizes the close interdependence between human health, animal health, and ecosystem health. It advocates for an integrated approach to prevent health, environmental, and social crises.
Efforts towards prevention using the “One Health” approach have been implemented worldwide by various organizations, aiming to understand, reduce, and detect health risks early.
Initiatives in Guinea, Madagascar, Gabon, and Southeast Asia focus on ecosystem management, agroecology, and health surveillance to limit the emergence of new epidemics.
However, challenges remain due to institutional fragmentation, lack of communication between health, agriculture, and environmental sectors, and short-term funding for One Health projects.
Efficient collaboration between sectors is crucial to prevent the development of superficial initiatives claiming to follow the One Health approach without genuine integration.
Investing in One Health prevention is deemed a strategic move, yielding significant long-term benefits such as climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, reduced chemical inputs, biodiversity protection, and improved food quality.
Transformative One Health demands sustainable political commitment, international cooperation, and integration of social and ecological dimensions in health risk management.
An “One Health” Summit will take place in Lyon, France, in April 2026, organized by PREZODE, to address these critical issues.
Marisa Peyre and Francois Roger from Cirad authored this article, originally published on The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
