Zinsstag, Jakob

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Convergence of Ecohealth and One HealthInterest and participation in EcoHealth and One Healthapproaches have grown considerably over the past decade.Clearly, the two approaches have many similarities andstrive for similar outcomes, and collaboration betweenthem holds great potential value. Convergence of the twoapproaches could avoid repetition, strengthening bothcommunities yet still highlighting the unique attributes ofeach approach. In 2011 Margot Parkes, then President ofthe International Association for Ecology and Health(EcoHealth), called for critical reflection on directions forecohealth as a transdisciplinary field positioned amongconverging efforts (Parkes 2012). Building on this, seven-teen of us engaged in further discussion about the con-vergence between One Health and Ecohealth at the 4thbiennial EcoHealth conference this past October. We rep-resent veterinary medicine, public health, ecology andseveral other disciplines, geographic locations, and bothEcohealth and One Health experiences. We present ourdeliberations and insights on two questions: Where andhow can the two concepts converge? What is their commonground and where can they live happily apart?OF ECOHEALTH AND ONE HEALTHSeveral conceptual and foundational papers on One Healthand Ecohealth frame our discussion. Ecohealth, as repre-sented by the IAEH, strives for sustainable health of people,animals, and ecosystems by promoting discovery andunderstanding through transdisciplinary action-research. Itencourages problem solving that draws upon multiple typesof knowledge from the natural, social and health sci-ences, and the humanities (IAEH ratified constitution2008, www.ecohealth.net). Others have documented theevolution of the field of ecohealth (Parkes 2012 in thisjournal). Still others have focused on elucidating principlesfundamental to engaging in ecohealth research in a devel-opment context, for example: a systemic approach, tacklingcomplex, non-linear problems quantitatively and qualita-tively; a transdisciplinary approach that engages stakeholderparticipation; attention to environmental sustainability, andto gender and social equity; and transforming knowledgeinto action (Charron 2012).The contemporary One Health approach recognisesthat the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems isintimately connected and involves a coordinated, collabo-rative, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral approach toaddressing a wide range of risks at the animal–human–ecosystem interface. Embracing the Manhattan principles(Cook et al. 2004), the One Health movement strives todevelop new methods to assess human and animal healthand their respective social and environmental determinantsand to assess the added value of improved cooperation andcollaboration of human and animal health disciplines,research and interventions (Enserink 2007; Zinsstag et al.2011, 2012).EXPLORING COMMON GROUND AND UNIQUEATTRIBUTESThe Ecohealth and the One Health movement bothemphasize an holistic understanding of health beyond thepurely biomedical. They both champion systems thinkingas a way of achieving a greater understanding of healthproblems, and both espouse inter- and trans-disciplinaryresearch and collaborative participation. Areas already welldeveloped in Ecohealth, such as the relationships betweenhealth and ecosystems or between health and sustainabledevelopment, have been growing in importance within theEcoHealth 9, 371–373, 2012DOI: 10.1007/s10393-013-0812-zEditorial 2013 The Author(s)One Health movement, particularly in zoonosis controland pastoralist health. Both fields do not yet have strongplant health involvement, but this is just beginning. Eco-health emerged from research oriented towards under-standing health in the context of ecosystems, environmentaldegradation and unsustainable development. It presup-poses that human survival depends on healthy and diverseecosystems, and that both are under threat. Advocates andpractitioners of One Health can build on the experiences ofEcohealth to strengthen these aspects in One Healthresearch and interventions.One Health is a movement that has its origins in themanagement of the disease threats to humans and animals.Its focus was primarily on the interlinkages between humanand animal health and more recently on how these link toand impinge on the environment. Animal health is wellwithin the scope of Ecohealth (for example, wildlife healthand ecosystem change; various zoonoses of poverty), butnot its focus. Ecohealth could further enhance these effortsby drawing on the One Health expertise and experiences inzoonotic disease research, and disease economics, surveil-lance and management.While One Health is growing in disciplinary diversity,veterinarians and public health practitioners currently formthe majority of the field, and it tends to focus on com-municable disease, food safety, nutrition and antimicrobialresistance, issues squarely at the nexus of human and ani-mal health. There are gains to be made in synergizing withthe already-diverse membership in Ecohealth. The threat ofa global influenza pandemic gave great impetus to the OneHealth movement, and was able to influence the WorldOrganization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) and the World HealthOrganization (WHO) to formally work together under thebanner of One Health. Similar collaborations were estab-lished in many countries, influencing national policies,investments and research funding. Ecohealth affiliatescould learn from the strategies and networks used by OneHealth advocates to widen their influence on large-scalepolicy processes.One Health has chosen not to have an organisationalstructure, a single journal for research or policy dissemi-nation, or undertake regular conferencing arrangements.By partnering with existing structures such as the IAEH andits journal, EcoHealth, and with communities of practice inEcohealth around the world, individuals who identify withthe One Health movement gain new platforms for inter-action and outreach.LOOKING FORWARDEcohealth and One Health share many values and appro-aches, and converge most obviously in the areas ofzoonoses, disease emergence, and pandemic threats. Eachhas strengths to offer the other and by working together,greater impact may be achieved in global health and sus-tainability. Each also embraces themes and approaches notcurrently suited to the other. These differences should notprevent a closer interaction; rather, both communitiesstand to gain from shared information, resources andcollaborative action. For example, Ecohealth, with itsfoundations in environmental issues, could contribute tothe enhanced development of ecosystem approaches in OneHealth. Similarly, One Health could bolster the animalhealth research in EcoHealth as well as strengthen its eco-nomic evaluations and policy influence.Some organizations are already employing the strengthsof both approaches. For example, the Centre Suisse deRecherches Scientifiques in Coˆte d’Ivoire uses One Healthapproaches for diseases at the human-animal interface orfood borne disease, and Ecohealth approaches for researchon climate change, water and vector borne diseases.Multiple benefits may be gained by bringing togetherOne Health and Ecohealth, yet many people working in oneor the other field are unaware of the potential for collab-oration. Opportunities abound for reversing this: forexample, through joint conferences, shared training, andpublication in journals read by both communities ofresearchers, such as EcoHealth.PARTICIPANTS IN THE SYMPOSIUMAND CONTRIBUTORSJakob Zinsstag (convener), Swiss Tropical and PublicHealth Institute, University of Basel, SwitzerlandMartyn Jeggo (convener), Australian Animal Health Lab-oratory, CSIRO, AustraliaEsther Schelling, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Insti-tute, Basel, SwitzerlandBassirou Bonfoh, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiquesen Coˆte d’IvoireDavid Waltner-Toews, University of Guelph, Ontario,CanadaStefano Lelii, Institute of Public Health, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, GermanyBob Williams, Wellington, New Zealand372 Jakob ZinsstagMahamat Bechir, Centre de Support en Sante´ Internatio-nale, ChadFelix Li, Public Health Agency of Canada, CanadianEmbassy, ChinaDominique Charron, International Development ResearchCenter, Ottawa, CanadaRobinson Mdegela, Sokoine University of Agriculture,TanzaniaMeredith Barrett, Robert Wood Johnson FoundationHealth and Society Scholars, University of California,San Francisco and University of California, Berkeley, CA,USARichard Kock, Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire,United KingdomIbrahima Sy, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute,Basel, SwitzerlandAlain Vandersmissen, European Union - European Exter-nal Action Service, Brussels, BelgiumPeter Black, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries andForestry, Barton, ACT, AustraliaPeter Daszak, EcoHealth Alliance, New York, USAJakob ZinsstagDepartment of Epidemiology and Public HealthSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, PO Box 4002,Basel, SwitzerlandOPEN ACCESSThis article is distributed under the terms of the CreativeCommons Attribution License which permits any use,distribution, and reproduction in any medium, providedthe original author(s) and the source are credited.REFERENCESCharron DF (2012) Ecosystem approaches to health for a globalsustainability agenda. EcoHealth 9:256–266Cook RA, Karesh WB, Osofsky SA (2004) The Manhattan Prin-ciples on ‘One World One Health’, New York: Wildlife Conser-vation SocietyEnserink M (2007) Medicine. Initiative aims to merge animal andhuman health science to benefit both. Science 316:1553Parkes M (2012) Diversity, emergence, resilience: Guides for anew generation of ecohealth research and practice. EcoHealth8(2). doi:10.1007/s10393-011-0732-8.Zinsstag J, Mackenzie JS, Jeggo M, Heymann DL, Patz JA, DaszakP (2012) Mainstreaming one health. EcoHealth 9:107–110Zinsstag J, Schelling E, Waltner-Toews D, Tanner M (2011) From‘‘one medicine’’ to ‘‘one health’’ and systemic approaches to healthand well-being. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 101:148–156Published online: February 8, 2013Convergence of Ecohealth and One Health 373

Convergence of Ecohealth and One Health

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Convergence of Ecohealth and One Health

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