Zoonoses, epidemics and the concept “one health”

It is not easy to write an editorial and provide useful knowledge on such varied topics of vector-borne diseases (BVD) as infections of Zika, dengue, chikungunya, hantavirus, arenavirus; Tick-borne infections such as anaplasmosis, rickettsiosis and erlichiosis, as well as parasitic diseases such as leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis. In the literature about it, there are rivers of ink written, and putting order in one or two pages would be very bold. Nevertheless, it is worth highlighting the emergent and re-emerging character in which the BVDs are also framed and how the phenomena associated with globalization collaborate in its expansion and resurgence.No resulta fácil escribir un editorial y aportar conocimiento útil sobre temas tan variados de las enfermedades transmitidas por vectores (ETV) como son las infecciones de los virus del Zika, dengue, chikungunya, hantavirus, arenavirus; infecciones transmitidas por garrapatas como las anaplasmosis, rickettsiosis y erlichiosis, así como parasitosis como la leishmaniasis y la tripanosomiasis. En la literatura al respecto, hay ríos de tinta escritos, y poner orden en uno o dos folios sería muy osado. No obstante, merece la pena resaltar el carácter emergente y re-emergente en las que también se enmarcan las ETV y cómo los fenómenos asociados a la globalización colaboran en su expansión y resurgimiento

Taking forward a 'One Health' approach for turning the tide against the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus and other zoonotic pathogens with epidemic potential

The appearance of novel pathogens of humans with epidemic potential and high mortality rates have threatened global health security for centuries. Over the past few decades new zoonotic infectious diseases of humans caused by pathogens arising from animal reservoirs have included West Nile virus, Yellow fever virus, Ebola virus, Nipah virus, Lassa Fever virus, Hanta virus, Dengue fever virus, Rift Valley fever virus, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, and Zika virus. The recent Ebola Virus Disease epidemic in West Africa and the ongoing Zika Virus outbreak in South America highlight the urgent need for local, regional and international public health systems to be be more coordinated and better prepared. The One Health concept focuses on the relationship and interconnectedness between Humans, Animals and the Environment, and recognizes that the health and wellbeing of humans is intimately connected to the health of animals and their environment (and vice versa). Critical to the establishment of a One Health platform is the creation of a multidisciplinary team with a range of expertise including public health officers, physicians, veterinarians, animal husbandry specialists, agriculturalists, ecologists, vector biologists, viral phylogeneticists, and researchers to co-operate, collaborate to learn more about zoonotic spread between animals, humans and the environment and to monitor, respond to and prevent major outbreaks. We discuss the unique opportunities for Middle Eastern and African stakeholders to take leadership in building equitable and effective partnerships with all stakeholders involved in human and health systems to take forward a 'One Health' approach to control such zoonotic pathogens with epidemic potential

Livestock epidemic

The Handbook provides a comprehensive statement and reference point for hazard and disaster research, policy making, and practice in an international and multi-disciplinary context. It offers critical reviews and appraisals of current state of the art and future development of conceptual, theoretical and practical approaches as well as empirical knowledge and available tools. Organised into five inter-related sections, this Handbook contains sixty-five contributions from leading scholars. Section One situates hazards and disasters in their broad political, cultural, economic, and environmental context. Section Two contains treatments of potentially damaging natural events/phenomena organized by major earth system. Section Three critically reviews progress in responding to disasters including warning, relief and recovery. Section Four addresses mitigation of potential loss and prevention of disasters under two sub-headings: governance, advocacy and self-help, and communication and participation. Section Five ends with a concluding chapter by the editors

Bringing together emerging and endemic zoonoses surveillance: shared challenges and a common solution

Early detection of disease outbreaks in human and animal populations is crucial to the effective surveillance of emerging infectious diseases. However, there are marked geographical disparities in capacity for early detection of outbreaks, which limit the effectiveness of global surveillance strategies. Linking surveillance approaches for emerging and neglected endemic zoonoses, with a renewed focus on existing disease problems in developing countries, has the potential to overcome several limitations and to achieve additional health benefits. Poor reporting is a major constraint to the surveillance of both emerging and endemic zoonoses, and several important barriers to reporting can be identified: (i) a lack of tangible benefits when reports are made; (ii) a lack of capacity to enforce regulations; (iii) poor communication among communities, institutions and sectors; and (iv) complexities of the international regulatory environment. Redirecting surveillance efforts to focus on endemic zoonoses in developing countries offers a pragmatic approach that overcomes some of these barriers and provides support in regions where surveillance capacity is currently weakest. In addition, this approach addresses immediate health and development problems, and provides an equitable and sustainable mechanism for building the culture of surveillance and the core capacities that are needed for all zoonotic pathogens, including emerging disease threats

A review of the One Health concept : increasing awareness and collaboration between the Maltese medical and veterinary professionals

The One World, One Health concept was initiated in 2004 by the Wildlife Conservation Society with the aim of establishing an interdisciplinary and crosssectoral approach to preventing epidemic or epizootic diseases and to maintain ecosystem integrity. This concept has gained importance nowadays due to the increase in emerging and re-emerging diseases most of which are zoonotic in nature. Collaboration between the Maltese medical and veterinary professions is necessary to diagnose and control these diseases. A number of points are made questioning the current state of collaboration between these professions, with the aim of increasing the trust and communication between the said professions thus ensuring the best possible defence against diseases which can be a threat to both the human and animal population on the Maltese islandspeer-reviewe

Alternative ecological and social proposals for preventing the global threat of emerging infectious diseases.

Emerging infectious diseases are a major global health threat in the human, animal and plant worlds. Zoonoses and vector borne diseases are becoming prevalent worldwide. A large part of global health funding is dedicated to the fight against Dengue, Zika, or Ebola. Until now, public health strategies have been mainly based on vaccine development, medication testing or on proposals for “acceptable” cultural changes in local population practices to limit transmission risk, without thinking about the root causes. In this literature review, it will be argued that the current economic system, through its growth imperatives which ignore planetary limits, together with intensive agricultural practices, is related to infectious disease emergence. Monocultural practices, such as rubber/palm oil industrial plantations, through the ecological perturbation inflicted, act as a driver of vector borne and zoonotic diseases. Deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and human invasion of remote forested areas are followed by the emergence of zoonoses such as Ebola disease. Even if any emergence is always a multifactorial process, it is still fundamental to highlight the major influence of environmental drivers. The characteristics of specific ecological and social contexts within which emergence occurs should be explored. Alternative health and environmental paradigms could help impede the emergence of infectious diseases.  A true “One health” approach which takes care of ecosystems and preserves the diversity of living things and of relationships corresponds to an “EcoHealth” approach. Ecological options and environmental solutions could produce a real innovation in public health. Stopping deforestation and ecosystem destruction and fostering peasant agroecology and free evolution for certain forested areas could slowly lead to rebalanced ecosystems. Furthermore, ecological actions would be less stigmatizing than promotion of cultural changes. An alternative public health program based on “health within a healthy environment” would be more effective than a secondary struggle against emerging diseases. This suggests introducing public health as a fundamental land use issue, inaugurating peasant agroecology, land use and conservation as fundamental public health issues, and developing coherent policies.  Key words: emerging infectious diseases, EcoHealth, pathogenic environment, plantacionocene, ecological alternatives, Planetary Health, ecosystemic approach to public healt