One Health Hub – What is One Health?

One Health is a multi-sectoral, unifying approach designed to optimize the health of people, animals, plants, ecosystems and the environment they share. 

It is based on the observation that the health of humans, animals, plants, and the wider environment is closely linked and interdependent. This interdependency means that no single discipline or sector can tackle threats to health that occur at the interface between humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems in isolation.  

While the One Health approach is often associated with zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), it is relevant to a much wider range of health issues. However, One Health should not be seen as a silver bullet solution to all health challenges, as many are not at the interface between sectors. 

There have been difficulties translating One Health from ideas into practice, and many barriers still exist to operationalizing the concept effectively. Nonetheless, the One Health concept continues to gather significant momentum across the globe.