The phrase “One Health” was first used in 2003 in an article by the American scientist William Karish in newspaper Washington Post. The point of Karish Alert to the absolute interdependence between human and animal health and the environment. Caring for the planet is also caring for people and animals. After nearly 20 years, the integrated approach has been “baptized” by Karish It is the path recommended by many international organizations so that we can prevent future epidemics.
It is estimated that about 75% of all infectious diseases arising in humans are of zoonotic origin, that is, animal diseases transmitted to humans. This is how Ebola virus disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East (MERS) knocked on our door: “jumping” from the animal world to the human world. Pathogens typically make this “jump” between species for similar reasons: habitat destruction, use of wild animals for human food, changes in land use, increased human population density, and intensification of agricultural activity to respond to the increasing demand for animal protein.
“Deforestation of biodiversity areas, consumption of wild species and reduction Biodiversity It will bring us viruses that have always been there, but have never been so close to us before. This barrier of animals and plants is being eliminated by constant logging to make way for agriculture and the service of our food model, which is largely based on animal protein. This whole scenario makes some microorganisms closer [patológicos] On humans, we must be prepared for new epidemics,” warns Susanna Paixao, professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra and president of the International Federation for Environmental Health.
“Everything is connected“
The decline in biodiversity is caused not only by deforestation, but also by extreme weather events. One heat wave followed by a large fire, for example, may be responsible for the dismantling of a environmental system Previously varied and balanced. A portion of the mammals that inhabited these affected lands may escape to easily habitable areas (where there is water and fertile land). “We all tend to flee from fires, droughts and floods, but we forget that we are not the only ones fleeing, other species are fleeing as well. And again, this is strengthening epidemics like the ones we face. I repeat: everything is interconnected. It is the result of not investing more in preserving diversity. Biology,” notes Susana Vegas, a professor at the National School of Public Health at the University of Nova de Lisbon.
Two environmental health experts contacted by PÚBLICO believe that the current pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has helped the scientific community better communicate the existence of One Health. Although the exact origins of the new coronavirus have yet to be determined, a very likely hypothesis is that SARS-CoV-2 “jumped” at some point from a wild animal to a human — as other viruses have done. The “jump” between species is not new, nor is it, in and of itself, a perverse effect Climate change. But human actions that simultaneously disintegrate ecosystems and stimulate changes in climatethey give way to more encounters between people and animals, increasing the risk of unexpected and often unwanted consequences.
People should understand that all these factors [a saúde humana, animal e ambiental] They always go together. Climate change is increasing the loss of biodiversity in ecosystems, and this loss, in turn, leads to the migration of different species to other ecosystems. The greater contact of these animals with humans also brings us closer to a series of microorganisms that are not pathogenic to this species, but would be to humans,” says Susanna Vegas.
In addition to the risks of a “leap” between species, climate change “can lead to significant changes in the geographical and seasonal distribution and spread of vector-borne diseases,” says the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (ENAAC 2020). The document, whose validity has been extended until 2025, sets out the objectives and the model for implementing solutions to adapt different sectors to climate change. Health is one of them.
dengue fever, Chikungunya Zika
The most “disturbing” dangers are associated with mosquitoes Aedes. There are species of this type of insects in Madeira (Aedes aegypti) and in Spain (Aedes albopictus). Both are linked to the transmission of the dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. The National Strategy states that “with a rise in temperature” and “expected effects on the distribution and spread of disease in Portugal”, outbreaks or epidemics could increase the burden on health services, and it is recommended that adaptation work should be undertaken “as soon as possible.” possible” by the health authorities.
James Gathany/Reuters
“Insects are more active in the heat — which, in fact, is why people turn on air conditioners to keep insects away during the summer. The more heat, the more activity the insects are, and therefore the greater the risk of virus transmission. We can start getting tropical diseases in places where they haven’t been.” These problems before. Everything is connected and this shows us that we cannot work in a piecemeal way, in isolated blocks”, says Francisco Ferreira, President of Environmental Association Zero. Precisely because the problems caused by the climate crisis are interconnected, the approach to dealing with them must be integrated.
The comprehensive approach proposed by William Karish is already underway at the international level. The World Health Organization and the United Nations Food and Farming FAO and the World Organization for Animal Health are already working together to identify the best strategies and recommendations to prevent future epidemics. In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Program joined the trio to design a global plan that follows the logic of “One Health”.
The “One Health” approach is critical. Many people don’t know about environmental health as a discipline because we work primarily on prevention. We try to make sure that the disease does not appear. Susanna Baixaw concludes that the more we succeed, the more invisible we become—which is still a paradox.
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