Human health and disease don’t exist in a vacuum. Both are part of our wider environment. The interim Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has created a One Health Unit. The unit will plan for future health challenges by working with stakeholders across different sectors.
Why is the CDC concerned about animal and environmental health?
One Health is a central principle that guides our work at the interim CDC. It helps to frame human health alongside environmental and agricultural health.
One Health is the best framework through which we can approach future health challenges and respond to them.
It recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are connected. They all depend on each other.
It involves a collaborative, whole-of-society, and whole-of-government approach to understand, anticipate and address risks to global health.
One Health addresses the collective need for:
- multi-sectoral approaches to health challenges
- clean water, energy and air
- safe and nutritious food
- action on climate change
- sustainable development.
Many new diseases emerge in animals. Most of them never ‘spill over’ to people. However, some do and the effects can be serious.
Understanding where human, animal and environmental health intersects is vital for our experts in the interim CDC. It gives them an edge when preparing for threats to the health of the Australian population.
Which diseases come from animals and which don’t?
There are plenty of diseases that Australians will have heard of that make the jump between animals and humans. We call these zoonotic diseases. Around 75% of new human diseases have a zoonotic origin.
Some causes include:
- bacteria
- viruses
- fungi
- parasites
- prions (an infectious protein).
Hendra and lyssavirus are 2 examples of zoonotic diseases we have in Australia. Both are spread by bats. Cats and dogs can spread the fungal infection ringworm. Avian influenza (bird flu) can jump to people from birds or through other animals.
Influenza can also spread to animals from humans. For this reason, people should take care when they are sick and working with animals.
Other important zoonotic diseases not found in Australia include:
- rabies
- ebola
- the bubonic plague.
Some diseases sound like they involve animals, but they don’t. For example:
- chicken pox doesn’t come from chickens
- rhinovirus doesn’t come from rhinoceroses.
In serious cases, the continued transmission of zoonotic disease can move beyond the original animal hosts and spread from person to person.
Taking a broader view of health at the CDC
Dr Sarah Britton is heading up our interim CDC’s One Health Unit.
Dr Britton has a background in veterinary public health and biosecurity. She came to the CDC from her previous role as NSW Chief Veterinary Officer.
She has managed One Health outbreaks and incidents, and has worked with health, wildlife and environmental experts.
Dr Britton said the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment and ecosystems are all linked and influence each other.
‘One Health is an exciting concept. To have it as a basic principle of the CDC is important to ensure we are ready for new health threats,’ Dr Britton said.
‘The CDC places human health at the centre of what we do. But we work with experts in other fields too. We work with other Commonwealth agencies to ensure we take a holistic One Health approach.
‘We are also working with researchers and other stakeholders in the One Health space in Australia and overseas.’