What do researchers hunting mosquitos and vets checking chickens have to do with One Health? We explain how their work matters – and how the approach is aimed at stopping pandemics before they start. In some ways, One Health is like ‘world peace’. Everyone agrees with the concept, but making it happen is utopian in scope.

What Is ‘One Health’?

Researchers have used the term ‘One Health’ for decades. It describes the idea that human health is linked closely to the health of the animals and the environment around us. An obvious observation, perhaps – but one we all too often ignore.

One Health -- why it matters

COVID-19 brought the consequences of a pandemic into stark relief: a single zoonosis – spread globally through the wildlife trade, air travel, and social contacts – caused millions of deaths. But you don’t need a pandemic to understand One Health. A story about light bulbs can suffice.

One Health – a simple example

Electricity arrives in a remote village in the Central African Republic. How practical to finally have steady light when night falls! The new light bulbs provide it long after the sun has set, allowing the people there to be less dependent on daylight for lots of activities.

But the bulbs attract insects, causing malaria cases to rise. And people also soon begin to feel the ill effects of less sleep. There’s no doctor in the village and getting medical treatment means a long journey. The closest physician is also already responsible for thousands of other patients.

In the end, the light bulbs therefore lead to more illness in the village, and even deaths. That doesn’t necessarily mean getting rid of them is the solution. It simply shows that we’re also part of an ecosystem, and that every change we make to our environment has consequences for us as well.