VN November 2021

Vetnuus | November 2021 8 Collective decisions about whether to take an alternate course of action need to be taken or to proceed but take steps to reduce or adapt to expected damages can then be made. Decision making is particularly relevant at the government level, where each sector typically has its plans and objectives that may not routinely consider effects on others. If a particular sector lacks the capacity to contribute, risk areas are not receiving the necessary attention. The impact may be felt in other sectors that, in return, will have to contribute to expensive response and adaptation measures. For example, introducing and establishing invasive alien species costs South Africa an estimated 6.5 billion rand each year 6 . They cause significant reductions in water resources, threatening the productivity of the country’s rangelands. One Health can also help learn from other sectors. Research on the vaccine hesitancy seen in response to COVID-19 may inform better overall communication on vaccines, including for animals. One could also consider whether pet owners and livestock farmers who have access to information on vaccines’ safety, efficacy, and benefits for their animals’ health are more willing to accept human vaccines. As a trusted source of information to their clients and communities, veterinarians can also help deliver public health messages. It is clear public and private veterinarians, as well as animal health technicians and researchers, have an essential role to play in the health of our species, in addition to animal health and economy. What can you do? Some ideas include: • Consider how environmental factors may affect disease risk (to inform prevention strategies) or disease occurrence (to inform diagnosis and control measures). • Consider how treatment and control measures could affect human and environmental health. Certain chemicals can affect non-target species or ecosystems, threatening biodiversity or putting human health at risk if water quality or food safety is impacted. • Share your expertise with other sectors. Consider submitting abstracts to conferences in public health, economics, or environmental science to expand the thinking of others. • Organise and participate in One Health seminars at veterinary conferences and other professional meetings. • Consider practical ways to exchange information with clients. For example, if they detect something unusual that could signal disease risk, do they have a channel to report it? Are clients informed of how to protect themselves when there are risk alerts about diseases, and are they informed about ways to protect themselves when handling their animals? • Review disease reports from additional sources. The Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED: https:// promedmail.org) aggregates information from human, animal, and plant disease events, including zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance, with insights from expert moderators. • Consider where investments in systems are needed at the local and national levels. If there is no channel for reporting unusual animal diseases to human medical professionals, that could be something where a formal system could help. There may also be training needs, such as epidemiology, that could increase the public good delivered by a veterinary practice. • Advocate for intelligent investments – for example, if there is a more cost-effective way to prevent a zoonotic disease, make the business case for how it can save lives and money in the long term. • Share models of One Health in action to inspire others, including the next generation of veterinary professionals. South African veterinarians are already leading exciting One Health efforts. These will help to better understand disease risks and inform optimal disease monitoring and management. Making One Health approaches more routine in both emergency situations and daily practice will make the difference for improved health outcomes for animals, people, and the environment. References 1. William Karesh: championing “One Health”. Bulletin of the World Health Organ ization. 2020;98(10):652-653. doi:10.2471/ BLT.20.031020 2. Berthe FCJ, BouleyT, KareshWB, Le Gall FG, Machalaba C, Plante CA, Seifman RM. Operational Framework for Strengthening Human, Animal and Environmental Public Health Systems at their Interface (English). 2018. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group. 3. Weyer J andMulumba M. One Health in South Africa? Southern African Journal of Infectious Diseases October 1, 2017 32. 10.4102/sajid.v32i3.42 4. Anyamba A, Linthicum KJ, Small JL, Collins KM, Tucker CJ, Pak EW, et al. (2012) Climate Teleconnections and Recent Patterns of Human and Animal Disease Outbreaks. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 6(1): e1465. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001465 5. Rostal MK, Ross N, Machalaba C, Cordel C, Paweska JT, Karesh WB. Benefits of a one health approach: An example using Rift Valley fever. One Health . 2018;5:34-36. Published 2018 January 11. doi:10.1016/j.onehlt.2018.01.001 6. vanWilgen BW &Wilson JR (Eds.) 2018. The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2017. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DST- NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. v Leading Article One Health: How Collaboration Can Expand.... <<< 7