Introduction to the One Health approach
Join Lisa, Phil, Anna and Luke as they do their homework for high school and learn what One Health actually is, which disciplines deal with it and why working together is so important for it.
The concept of One Health
In this
conversation, the students have perfectly understood the concept of “One
Health”: the perspective that humans´, animals´ and the environments´ health
is interconnected.
Different disciplines have to work together in order to address complex health challenges. In today’s globalized world, everything is interconnected. Health can no longer be seen in the framework of human health alone. When considering health, we also have to take the health of the environment and animals into account, while at the same time paying attention to social, political, and economic factors.
Different disciplines have to work together in order to address complex health challenges. In today’s globalized world, everything is interconnected. Health can no longer be seen in the framework of human health alone. When considering health, we also have to take the health of the environment and animals into account, while at the same time paying attention to social, political, and economic factors.
Definitions of One Health
There is still no clear definition of One Health. It is seen
either as an initiative, a movement, a strategy, a framework, an agenda or an
approach, or just as a joint effort. What they all have in common is the
understanding that One Health is an effective interdisciplinary approach to the control of complex public health problems involving many disciplines,
usually with close links between human, animal and environmental health.
Below you find three prominent definitions of One Health from the most important organizations dealing with this concept.
Below you find three prominent definitions of One Health from the most important organizations dealing with this concept.
Examples of One Health
Just as inconsistent as
the definition, are the scope considered and the disciplines included in One
Health. In the stories of our four high school students, you have already learned about climate change, zoonoses and migration.
While the most prominent One Health examples are infectious diseases in general (incl. zoonoses), food safety (incl. agriculture and aquaculture) and antibiotic resistance, the possible areas relevant to One Health go far beyond these as far as they include at least the three primary domains of human, animal and environment. Have a look on the following stories to learn more about possible fields of research and action applying the One Health approach.
While the most prominent One Health examples are infectious diseases in general (incl. zoonoses), food safety (incl. agriculture and aquaculture) and antibiotic resistance, the possible areas relevant to One Health go far beyond these as far as they include at least the three primary domains of human, animal and environment. Have a look on the following stories to learn more about possible fields of research and action applying the One Health approach.
Virtual One Health Exhibition
With global health issues affecting so many different disciplines and countries around the world, researchers often work in alliances in order to join their forces. This is also the case of the European University Alliance for Global Health (EUGLOH).
EUGLOH brings together five universities from across Europe, namely:
In this Virtual Exhibition, you will briefly get to know some of the One Health-related topics that our European scientists are currently working on. Have fun!
EUGLOH brings together five universities from across Europe, namely:
- Université Paris-Saclay, France
- Lund University, Sweden
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
- Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- University of Szeged, Hungary
In this Virtual Exhibition, you will briefly get to know some of the One Health-related topics that our European scientists are currently working on. Have fun!
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Introduction to the One Health approach
Lisa Human Medicine
Phil Veterinary Medicine
Phil Video
Anna Social Studies
Luke Natural Sciences
Luke Video
Luke Before/After
The concept of One Health
Examples of One Health
Virtual One Health Exhibition