From Pandemics to Prevention: Why One Health Approach Must Guide the Future of Global Health

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed, in the most devastating terms, a truth many of us have long known: human health cannot be separated from animal health or the health of our shared environment. The One Health approach — an integrated, multi-sectoral strategy that recognizes the interdependence of people, animals, plants, and ecosystems has moved from a persuasive academic idea to a necessary foundation for prevention, preparedness, and resilience against future health threats.(1,2)

Historical Roots and Evolution of the One Health Concept: The intellectual roots of One Health trace back to the "One Medicine" thinking of veterinary and comparative medicine, and more recently, it has been codified as a public-health strategy as zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and ecosystem change accelerated.(3,4) Recognizing the need for coordinated global action, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) formalized structures such as the One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2026) to operationalize One Health at global and country levels.(5)