Epidemiology Professor Jakob Zinsstag (University of Basel, Switzerland) leads a research group focused on the interface of human and animal health, particularly zoonoses and the health of nomadic populations, under the ‘One Health’ approach. He also is a member of the One Health High Level Expert Panel of the Quadripartite Organizations: the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Furthermore, he co-chairs the One Health working group of SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies). They are part of the Science Advice Mechanism (SAM) to the European Commission and recently published a report about One Health.
Why is the One Health approach scientifically important now, and what is the difference compared to past calls for integrated health thinking on the EU level?
The Covid-19 pandemic once more showed the inextricable linkage of wildlife, domestic animals and humans and fuelled the calls for more integrated approaches. This led to the further inclusion of UNEP, the United Nations Environmental Programme into what has become today the Quadripartite group of international organizations.
The Quadripartite has proposed a joint plan of action addressing the most pressing needs of global health security like pandemic prevention, integrated surveillance-response of endemic zoonoses and the reduction of antimicrobial resistance. Subsequently G7, G20 and the European Union along with many national governments have committed to One Health operationalisation.
One Health aims at demonstrating an incremental benefit from closer cooperation between sectors and has thus a very practical and financial objective. This may partially explain its focus of attention compared to EcoHealth and Planetary Health that are remaining more in academic and NGO realms.
What changes are needed in education to foster future One Health leaders?
Jakob Zinsstag: The existing medical and veterinary faculties should include compulsory courses in One Health. This applies also to agricultural and environmental sciences. One health principles, the joint attention to health of all species and the sustainable use of natural resources should also be taught in primary and secondary schools and at high schools.
One Health leads to a paradigm shift in the humanities, away from an anthropocentric focus, to a broader attention of humans and animals within their environment. This is a post-humanist position.
What are the gaps in research that are essential to make the One Health approach actionable?
Jakob Zinsstag: The main gap is the lack of evidence of the incremental benefit of a closer cooperation between sectors. We need more good case studies that show that cooperation between sectors pays off. Low hanging fruits are integrated surveillance – response systems, antimicrobial resistance and integrated infrastructures.
In your opinion, how can we better connect scientific evidence with on the ground knowledge from local communities?
Jakob Zinsstag: One Health inherently engages with communities and authorities in a participatory transdisciplinary way. This approach aims at the co-production of transformational knowledge – knowledge from academic systems and practical knowledge of non-academic actors. Research projects in One Health should be based on priorities identified by societal actors.
What would you like to see from EU institutions to better support the integration of academic science into governance?
Jakob Zinsstag: EU institutions and mainly the universities should push to formally include One Health teaching into the curriculum of medical, veterinary, agricultural and environmental science students. Also sociologists and anthropologists could benefit from One Health teaching (see my point above on a post-humanist position).