What One Health is
The interim Australian CDC uses the World Health Organization’s definition of One Health, which is that One Health is 'an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems'.
Why One Health is important
One Health is not a new concept; however, it has become more important as the pressure on global ecosystems has increased due to:
- human population growth
- increased international travel
- habitat destruction
- the effects of climate change.
Some 60% of emerging infectious diseases that are reported globally are zoonoses. Over 30 new human pathogens have been detected in the past 3 decades, 75% of which have originated in animals. Common examples include:
- COVID-19
- Japanese encephalitis virus infection
- rabies
- Salmonella
- ringworm
- Hendra virus infection.
Taking a One Health approach means potential and emerging zoonoses can be identified sooner and their impacts to human health and national economies significantly lessened.
A One Health focus can also improve food safety and security, having flow-on benefits for protecting biodiversity and the world’s economy.
Our actions
The interim Australian CDC is expanding Australia’s ability to implement a One Health approach. The interim Australian CDC is focused on:
- collaboration – by improving cross-sectoral collaboration, to address a range of complex health issues; this will include things like zoonoses control and antimicrobial resistance
- capacity building – by building on lessons from the experiences of recent outbreak responses in Australia, including Japanese encephalitis virus and mpox.
- coordination – by working with other organisations to better identify emerging threats and deliver faster and more effective responses
- communication – by engaging with our partners to identify, develop and deliver relevant One Health messages for our stakeholders and the Australian public.
We have established a One Health Unit to improve One Health policy coordination and collaboration at the national level. It brings together expertise in human, animal and environmental health areas.
The One Health Unit's actions include:
- identifying steps to improve One Health capabilities and activities, including enhanced surveillance and greater availability and sharing of data
- supporting horizon scanning for new and emerging human health threats
- establishing and maintaining clear, practical partnerships with
Key stakeholders
Key One Health partners for the interim Australian CDC include:
- other Australian Government agencies
- state and territory governments
- First Nations organisations
- Wildlife Health Australia
- peak bodies
- the research sector
- other One Health agencies.