About One Health
The One Health approach
One Health*) is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems.
It recognises the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and inter-dependent.
The approach mobilises multiple sectors, disciplines, and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well- being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development.
*) The One Health definition was postulated by the One Health High- Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP), set up by FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH, who met in November 2020 at the Paris Peace Forum to further enhance their cross- sectoral collaboration. OHHLEP is endorsed by the governments of France and Germany.
4 C’s: cooperate, collaborate, communicate, build capacity
One Health always includes
Cooperation
Everybody locally, in the region, and at ministerial levels, who works in the addressed areas, should be brought behind the common effort!
It needs a common vision.
Communication
Every project needs to evaluate at which stage, all collaborators are with their OH approach, how barriers will be overcome, who is responsible for each step and who controls their implementation.
Collaboration
Has to be in place to ensure that decision makers, implementers and beneficiaries are part of the participatory process at all levels. Everybody must support the agreed action and the distribution of responsibilities.
Capacity building
Only few professionals have expertise
in the OH approach, with an acute shortage in animal health and environmental science. Widespread capacity building, therefore,
has to be an accompanying process.
Quick scan of ways of intersectoral collaboration
Multidisciplinary
Viewing one discipline from the perspective of another
Crossdisciplinary
People from different disciplines working together, each drawing on their disciplinary knowledge
Interdisciplinary
Integrating knowledge and methods from different disciplines, using a real synthesis of approaches
Transdisciplinary
Creating a framework beyond the disciplinary perspectives.
The work involves non-academic participants as equal participants to reach a common goal
Explore enabling conditions courtesy Fascentini, Rusman 2023
It is necessary to create a suitable environment for sustainable and optimal
collaborations and activities
Efficiency gains from the One Health approach
Actual data on the savings from the introduction of One Health are rare in the public domain as only few countries have actually implemented the One Health approach so far and data is often confidential due to trade and other economic interests.
However, the World Bank estimates savings achievable through the Implementation of the One Health Concept in 139 World Bank client countries (60 low- and 79 middle-income countries) in peacetime and emergency operations.
In the table next page, you can see that in the low-prevalence scenario a One Health approach compared to a separate silo approach it could lead to savings of US$184 million per year (10% of the total costs) and US$506 million (15% of the total costs) in the high-prevalence scenario. Further potential savings in joint activities in the areas of planning, communication, education, training and research are not included in these calculations. In addition, savings from the environmental pillar are not included
Potential Savings Achievable through the Implementation of the One Health Concept in 139 World Bank Client Countries (60 low- and 79 middle-income countries) in Peacetime and Emergency Operations
| Task and type of costs | Savings | Area of saving |
|---|---|---|
| Surveillance-investment | 10-30% | Joint transport + communication systems, demonstrated in HPAI and other campaigns |
| Surveillance-recurrent | 20-40% | Shared front-line staff, demonstrated in para-veterinary systems |
| Bio-security-investment | 5-20% | Shared border control and abattoir and market inspection in buildings and equipment; sharing also possible with plant sanitary service |
| Bio-security-recurrent | 10-30% | Shared border control + market inspection, with clear agreement on responsibilities; sharing also possible with plant sanitary service |
| Diagnostic-investment | 5-25% | Joint facilities and equipment |
| Diagnostic-recurrent | 15-30% | Shared support staff |
| Control-investment | 5-15% | Shared quarantine of infected areas, already done in HPAI campaigns (vaccinations, hygiene, rapid response) |
| Control-recurrent | 10-30% | Shared staff + hygiene and awareness programs (vaccinations, hygiene, and rapid response) |
An example for efficiency gains from the One Health approach
The Canadian Science Center for Human and Animal Health (Winnipeg)…
…created an integrated laboratory for human and animal disease research at the highest level of bio-containment in 1999 with separated blocks which lead to US$5 million per year (26%) cost savings due to sharing of the operational costs (WB: people, pathogens and the planet; Vol 2). The combination with common areas joining the blocks enables collaboration among the researchers.
Further cost savings were achieved through
- greater collaboration for surveillance activities (e.g., field staff, facilities and communication)
- sharing costs for common diagnostic services (e.g., sample reception/dispatch, library, information technology, emergency response, operation and maintenance) not yet including costs on investments, control, communication, and other joint activities
- the use of the same electronic software system across human and animal health sectors and across national, provincial, and local levels would further improve communication flow and knowledge sharing
The model of sharing facilities seems applicable in most locations worldwide, whereas the level of collaborations is depending on the available resources.
| Task | Shared front/line staff | Savings | Animal health low IC | Animal health middle IC | Human health low IC | Human health middle IC | savings US $ 000/Y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| surveillance | recurrent | 40% | shared border control/market inspection | $ 22.588,88 | $ 24.167,73 | $ 18.865,89 | $ 20.184,53 | $ 85.807,04 |
| bio-security | investment | 20% | shared border control/market inspection | $ 2.823,61 | $ 3.020,97 | $ 0,00 | $ 0,00 | $ 5.844,58 |
| bio-security | recurrent | 30% | shared border control / market inspection | $ 5.647,22 | $ 6.041,93 | $ 0,00 | $ 0,00 | $ 11.689,15 |
| diagnostic | investment | 25% | joint facilities + equipment | $ 10.588,54 | $ 11.328,63 | $ 7.503,48 | $ 8.027,94 | $ 37.448,50 |
| diagnostic | recurrent | 30% | shared support staff | $ 8.470,83 | $ 9.062,90 | $ 9.004,18 | $ 9.633,53 | $ 36.171,43 |
| control | investment | 15% | shared quarantine of infected areas | $ 12.706,24 | $ 14.921,95 | $ 26.369,38 | $ 26.369,39 | $ 82.210,04 |
| control | recurrent | 30% | shared hygiene + awareness programmes | $ 25.412,49 | $ 29.843,00 | $ 52.789,75 | $ 56.424,95 | $ 164.420,08 |
| Total saving | $ 116.473.89 | $ 128.597.67 | $ 126.058.48 | $ 134.869. | $ 505.99.43 |
The Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services makes a vital tool for the One Health Approach
Bringing together the expertise of leading scientists and experts, this IPBES report explores the vital interconnections between biodiversity, water, food, and health in the context of climate change. It offers a comprehensive and unique perspective on how to tackle the complex challenges facing our global community through a holistic lens. A Nexus Roadmap for Action in this report, can be used as a practical guide that helps actors across sectors identify shared challenges and values, foster collaboration, and co-create solutions for equitable and sustainable futures. Cross-cutting systems such as land, soil, and air interlink these elements and provide leverage points for transformative change. The tool helps to see where one can achieve synergies and avoid harm, as well as how to achieve more impact by tackling subjects that are connected together in an integrated way.
For further reading go to: https://www.ipbes.net/global-assessment