One world one health - The only way to address animal health and human safety concerns

Disease incidence and its epidemic can not be made to respect geographical boundaries especially when human-animal interaction is imperative for producing animal food products and for companionship in intensive or traditional animal raising systems. This interaction sometimes adversely causes interspecific disease transmission mostly from animals to human, often referred to as zoonosis. Management of zoonotic diseases therefore needs an integrated approach effectively utilizing advancements in human and animal medicine as well as food sciences. Proficient early warning and forecasting of zoonotic disease trends through proper surveillance systems is a key to effective containment and control. Early intervention during a disease epidemic often yields better outcomes with reduced disease burden and associated economic impact. Global Early Warning System (GLEWS) is a joint initiative that works on the added value of combining and coordinating alert mechanisms of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (0IE). It networks the international community and stakeholders, to assist in prediction, prevention and control of zoonotic disease threats through sharing of information, epidemiological and risk analysis. The strategic framework for reducing risks of infectious diseases at the animal-human-ecosystems interface,`Contributing to One World, One Health` involve national and international collaboration,prevention more so at the interface, good governance, emergency response capabilities and conducting research to address the problem. The challenges when considering how to move from the stated strategic aims of the One World, One Health initiative to action have been extensively deliberated. Detailed studies and strategies to minimize the risk of zoonotic diseases, is emerging as an important component of One World One Health Idea. Interventions to control zoonoses require the application of One World One Health concept in its letter and spirit through close collaboration between the veterinary and the human health sectors to save exposed human population and poor livestock keepers in marginalized communities. Similarly the emerging genomic tools such as high throughout sequencing, mRNA expression profiling, and-microarray-based analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms are providing unprecedented ways to analyze the diversity of the genomes of emerging pathogens as well as the molecular basis of the host response to them. The paper will discuss some important challenges to completely understand the potential risks and assessment of zoonotic potential in the entire spectrum of animal diseases.