JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

One Health (OH) approach aims to utilize a multidisciplinary approach to combat health threat at animal, human and environmental health interfaces. Among its broad focus areas are issues related to food safety, the control of zoonoses, laboratory services, neglected tropical diseases, environmental health, biosafety and biosecurity, and combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A roundtable session was conducted on November 18, 2021, as part of EMPHNET’s seventh regional conference to highlight the role of GHD|EMPHNET in strengthening the OH Approach. This viewpoint summarizes the findings of the roundtable session to highlight the experts’ viewpoints on strengthening the One Health approach, including the extent of zoonotic diseases and the dynamics of pathogens, and emerging diseases; the occurrence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens as a silent pandemic; issues surrounding the globalization of trade and food safety; the importance of integrated solutions as a new norm; issues around the institutionalization and governance toward effective operationalization of the One Health approach in the region; and how the One Health approach can be operationalized at global, regional and local levels. The panel concluded that the One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals, and ecosystems, and provided recommendations to strengthen the OH approach. It also discussed how GHD|EMPHNET can play its role in transferring the concept of OH from theory to practice via a solid operationalization roadmap at the Eastern Mediterranean Region level.