Safeguarding public and animal health

You are here: VLA Home Page | One World, One Health

One World, One Health

The ‘One World, One Health’ concept has become an increasingly central idea in both veterinary and public health.

The initiative, driven by international health and veterinary groups including the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), World Health Organisation Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), highlights the link between animal diseases and public health.

It champions the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle emerging infectious diseases and the need for both medical and veterinary institutes to work together on disease control programmes.

Following an international symposium in 2004, a list of 12 recommendations – the ‘Manhattan Principles’ – was proposed. And subsequently, a strategic document was produced by OIE, WHO, FAO and UNICEF defining a framework to reduce the risks of infectious diseases at the ‘animal-human-ecosystem interface’.

This framework recognises the interdependence of human, animal and ecosystem health and the need for an international, multi-disciplinary approach to the surveillance, control and prevention of emerging diseases.

The strategy document and a recent collaborative concept note from the OIE, WHO and FAO are available on the OIE website.

VLA & One World, One Health

VLA’s own mission statement - ‘Safeguarding public and animal health’ – reflects the ‘One World, One Health’ concept.

There are many examples of how we have been involved in collaborations with public health organisations to help control zoonotic diseases.

• We continue to work closely with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) investigating zoonotic diseases. In 2009, we were heavily involved in investigating verocytotoxigenic E. Coli O157 in open farms, following human disease outbreaks, after contact with farm animals. We also investigated a serious outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in children who visited an open farm. 

• VLA was instrumental in establishing Med-Vet-Net, an EU network of excellence, which brought together multi-disciplinary scientists from across Europe to research zoonoses and food-borne diseases that threaten public health. Med-Vet-Net Association has since been launched as its successor.
• The pandemic H1N1 outbreak in humans in 2009 was an opportunity for VLA to share its expertise in animal influenza. We provided support to public health organisations and continued our veterinary surveillance of pigs.
• We also have many international collaborations working to control tuberculosis in Africa and are involved in various international projects which are following a 'one health' strategy to control rabies.

• As an International Reference Laboratory for many disease, VLA's functions include confirmatory testing, standardisation of diagnostic testing and expert advice and training across the globe.

See the feature article in the Annual Review 2009/10 for a full overview of VLA’s work.