ONE HEALTH APPROACH -NEED OF THE HOUR
Dr Sanjay Kumar Bharti1 and Anshika Kumari2
1-Head, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, 2-B.V.Sc.&A.H., Student Bihar Veterinary College, Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna-14
‘ONE HEALTH’ – Basically an initiative that includes collaborative effects to attain optimal Health for Human, animals and our environment at local, national and global levels.
It is an approach that acknowledges that health of human being is not solely its own but actually is closely related to the health of animals and our environment.
The term ‘One health’ might be new for us, for today’s generation, but the concept has long been proposed and recognized. Since 1800’s scientists have noted the similarity in disease patterns among animals and human but the idea couldn’t be processed as at that time Human and animal medicine was studied separately. But now this key concept has gained more recognition. Today this has involved multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together.
Rudolf Virchow during his time came up with the term Zoonosis-described as a disease that can be passed from animals to human and today these Zoonosis have led to introduction and proper implementation of such concepts as ONE HEALTH. 
Talking about rationale behind this concept- It has been found that 75% of the emerging infectious diseases in past 3 decades have originated in animals. For e.g Covid-19, SARS, MERS, Zika virus, Ebola virus and a lot more. Even the food borne infections caused by Salmonella, E-Coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and other pathogens have their origin in animals. Global disease experts have recognised that this approach of one Health has a tremendous role to play in addressing the growing threats from Zoonotic diseases.
According to the current data – in 2005 ,1.8 million people died from food borne diarrheal diseases. More than 55000 people died from rabies every year. As per records presented by the government of India in Lok Sabha 14,50,666 cases have been reported till 22nd July.
Today in this phase of globalization, growing exchange and trade, diseases have found their easy way to spread quickly across the borders. Taking the recent scenario as our best evidence -Covid 19 pandemic has shown the relevance of one health principles. In today’s time, it has become the need of hour to attain proper command and work on generating awareness about ‘ONE HEALTH’. This requires combined efforts of varied sectors in conducting strategic research and studies to enable disease control. The roadmap has been prepared and the work has been started.
WHO along with Food and Agriculture organisation of United Nations(FAO), United Nations environment programme(UNEP) and World organization for animal Health(WOAH) has formed a World Health Quadripartite promoting multisectoral approaches to reduce health threats at the Human-animal-ecosystem level. The one Health High level Expert panel formed in May 2021 to advice FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH on one health issues.
Even India has not kept its step behind and is actively gaining its pace in promoting one Health approach. India has initiated its plan by launching ‘ONE HEALTH’ initiative in 2019. A major approach was taken in Jaipur against rabies and included vaccination and sterilization campaigns for dogs and as a result Human cases declined upto zero as compared with other states.
But, today despite so much concerns still there are some major threats that could lead to considerable disappointments.
Currently there are 543 medical colleges and 47 veterinary college in India but most of them do either no or very little research.
India has become a hotspot of zoonotic diseases, vector borne pathogens but our knowledge is very inadequate. The governance structures and intersectoral cross talks are almost null.
So now it is high time for us and specially those concerned to the medical fraternity, veterinarians, researchers etc to come up with their unique and creative approach that will lead to successful implementation of ONE HEALTH.
Our Indian Culture has always taught us:
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः।
सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु।
मा कश्चित् दुःख भाग्भवेत्॥
Once Albert Howard said: “The Health of soil, plants, animals and man is one and indivisible”.
Till today we all have been focusing about contamination at its basic level that could just affect Human or animal Health but now the need of the hour is to rectify it at universe level. The study should be on the interface of this whole biosphere. A united approach is needed because Diseases are in thousands but Health is only one.
