One Health Initiative

in Healthcare by alovering — August 27, 2011 at 9:16 am | 0 comments

Members of the One Health Initiative team are aiming to unite human, animal and environment studies to tackle zoonotic and infectious diseases. The holistic approach aims to synergise healthcare research and boost public health for the future

 

Interview contributors: Drs Bruce Kaplan, Tom Monath, Laura Kahn, and Jack Woodall

Could you give us an overview of the role and objectives of the One Health Initiative and your individual expertise?

In essence, the One Health concept envisions that all healthcare providers – both human and animal – along with other related scientific disciplines will work together in sharing information, research and discoveries for the betterment of all life on earth.

Our One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team promotes One Health in various professional journal publications, newspapers and magazines, as well as through the operation of the One Health Initiative website (www.onehealthinitiative.com) and with speaking engagements. It is comprised of two physicians, a veterinarian and a prominent research scientist:

Physician Laura H Kahn, MD, MPH, MPP is an author and currently a research scholar at Princeton University who teaches an undergraduate One Health course; veterinarian Bruce Kaplan, DVM, is contents manager of the website and has worked for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service; physician Thomas P Monath, MD, is an eminent medical virologist widely known for vaccine developments and is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Pandemic & Biodefense Fund, at Harvard; Jack Woodall, PhD is a world renowned health scientist virologist and a co-founder and associate editor of ProMED-mail and is contents manager of the website’s ProMED page.

How would you rate the current level of coordination between human and animal medical projects to date? Has the importance of a dual approach received increased recognition in recent years?

This is difficult to gauge. With the dual approach via the Internet, an increasing number of One Health seminars and talk in general has certainly increased our recognition, but a lot still needs to be done. Frankly, we need to do a better job of communicating what is in it for each discipline in order for these basic essential elements of society to ‘get it’.

So far, we would say that the One Health movement has been largely a grassroots effort of private organisations, such as professional societies, foundations and academic institutions. To succeed, the Initiative must ultimately be driven by national government and international organisations with agendas of action, backed by policy change and funding. This mandate has not yet been achieved and will require strong leadership.

Given the increased pressure from overpopulation, food demand, and climate change, how will the One Health Initiative help to prepare us for the medical and veterinary challenges that lie ahead?

Adequately addressing the need for abundant safe, high quality protein food sources and how this relates to climate change is of critical importance and concern to those engaged in and promoting One Health principles. The increased demand for animal protein will require improved and innovative methods of animal husbandry and prevention of diseases affecting livestock, while ensuring that there are no untoward consequences of increased density of animals, such as disease transmission between animals and between animals and humans.

The increased utilisation of antibiotics in food animals, with resultant emergence of antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria is a concern that must be managed and, ultimately averted by innovative methods. Cooperative, integrated collaborations are essential with changing scientific challenges associated with food production methods and food safety. Veterinary medical, microbiological and plant pathology expertise will be paramount for research activities required in order to understand and implement efficacious development.

Infectious and zoonotic diseases seem not to have featured prominently in the news in recent months. Is this a result of ongoing progress by organisations such as the One Health Initiative, or are there any diseases that are particularly rife but have been overlooked?

The emergence of new zoonotic diseases continues unabated. Pathogens continue to evolve due to a variety of manmade and environmental factors. In 2009 a new life-threatening tick-borne phlebovirus disease called SFTSV (severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome virus) emerged in China. Unfortunately, many expect a host of other agents (some possibly overlooked today) to evolve in the foreseeable future. In the last several years, there have been dramatic emergences in various parts of the world of a variety of zoonotic diseases, including Nipah virus disease, Q fever, Chikungunya, hantavirus disease, yellow fever, and bluetongue. In some of these emergences, new geographic areas were involved. In other cases, disease emergences were clearly linked to climate change (eg. Bluetongue in Europe).

We believe that other valuable One Health organisations in conjunction with our One Health Initiative team activities, utilising our stated principles, are crucial for meeting such challenges in the future from a global health perspective.

Could you comment on the One Health Initiative’s involvement in the development and distribution of new vaccines and protocols? Have you made any considerable advances since we last spoke?

The One Health Initiative promotes the engagement of scientists working on vaccines and drugs against diseases of animals and humans to work collaboratively. For example, companies in the biopharmaceutical industry typically have separate human and animal divisions. Cross-fertilisation of ideas and discoveries across these divisions appears to be increasing, and moreover there is a general trend to improve the quality of animal products to more closely match that of human vaccines and drugs.

The problem of antibiotic usage in animal feed is being addressed by animal health companies using scientific approaches acquired from human medicine. The control of rabies, a huge problem in Asia in particular, is being addressed by significant improvements in vaccine quality, supply, and innovative methods for rapid immunisation. Recently, a study of the National Academy of Sciences on the Special Immunizations Program in the United States (dealing with vaccination of laboratory and field workers against dangerous pathogens) evaluated the situation from the dual perspective of human and veterinary medicine, the first time this has ever been done.

Can you comment on your relationship with the American Medical Association? What advantages does such a close collaboration provide for both parties?

One Health has been supported by the American Medical Association in collaboration with the American Veterinary Medical Association and others since 2007. Our One Health Initiative team and our website have had an excellent relationship with two outstanding American Medical Association Presidents. One Health advocate and former AMA President Ronald Davis, MD originally asked Kahn to help draft the AMA’s One Health resolution that was subsequently adopted by AMA in June 2007. Team members Monath and Kaplan assisted Kahn with some editing of the draft.

The current President, Cecil B Wilson, MD is also a strong One Health supporter/advocate. He recently discussed One Health on a panel discussion at the North American Veterinary Conference in January in Orlando, Florida. The conference is usually attended by over 6,000 private practicing veterinarians from the U.S., Canada and elsewhere.

The 1st International One Health Congress meeting was held in Australia in February 2011. What was the central theme of the event, and what was discussed?

This meeting on One Health was envisaged to focus on the disease risks and challenges brought about by the interactions between animals, humans and the environment. Its goal was to have a global cross-section of participants review current disease knowledge at this interface and provide information needed to more effectively manage the emerging infectious disease risks at national, regional and global levels. The results were to include the identification of future research directions and to make recommendations on policy and organisational changes using the underlying science to inform and drive the process.

The three day programme was organised with primary leadership from outstanding Australian veterinarian Dr Martyn Jeggo of The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Australian Animal Health laboratory (AAHL) (http://www.csiro.au/places/AAHL.html) and prominent physician Dr David Heymann, Director Centre on Global Health Security, Chatham House, UK. Dr Heymann is also widely acclaimed for serving as the editor of Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, a universally utilised informational product of the American Public Health Association.

Furthermore, what impact did the event have on One Health research, and the organisation as a whole?

It is too early to predict the Congress’ impact on One Health research. A potentially significant and important international interest and movement toward establishing an International Society of One Health (ISOH) was explored and discussed at the meeting. Worldwide momentum was so extraordinary that an initial planning and explorative developmental meeting is scheduled to be held in London on June 29, 2011. Dr Jack Woodall will be representing our One Health Initiative website team.

In 2010, the prominent American public health physician Dr Peter Rabinowitz and noted public health veterinarian Dr Lisa Conti published a groundbreaking One Health book entitled Human-Animal Medicine – Clinical Approaches to Zoonoses, Toxicants, and other shared Health Risks. What was the main focus of this publication, and what made it so innovative?

This One Health reference book explores the unprecedented convergence of human, animal, and environmental health, triggering global pandemics and requiring new clinical paradigms. The One Health approach calls for greater communication and cooperation between human healthcare providers, public health professionals, and veterinarians to better address vital issues of emerging diseases and environmental change. The book outlines practical guidelines for One Health collaborations in a wide range of clinical human-animal health issues, including the H1N1 virus, zoonotic diseases, the human-animal bond, animal allergy, bites and stings, and animals as sentinels for toxic environmental health hazards.

Many of us within the One Health community of the U.S. and internationally expect this book to eventually serve as a keystone training source for serious practitioners of One Health principles in medical, veterinary medical and public health colleges.

How do you disseminate the work of the One Health Initiative? Is it important to increase awareness of the benefits of collaborative human and veterinary medicine, and the prominent threats to both human and animal health?

Since October 1, 2008 our team and individual team members have established the One Health Initiative website for the purpose of allowing open access for all audiences interested in known One Health news, publications and upcoming events worldwide. It is often said to be referred to as the ‘clearing house’ for most, if not all One Health information. Our goal is to continue to help provide this open egalitarian atmosphere as long as feasible.

Our team is periodically asked to provide One Health speakers and members are frequently asked to speak about One Health issues at national and international meetings. We have also contributed to numerous One Health publications such as professional journals, a few newspaper Op-Eds, and book chapters on the subject.

 

www.onehealthinitiative.com

Tags: Healthcare Healthcare research One Health Initiative