MANILA, Nov. 14 --With the world population
now estimated at 7 billion, international attention has focused on the impact
of the rising population on the battle against poverty, global food security
and climate change.
A more crowded world is also likely to be more
vulnerable to emerging and rapidly-spreading infectious diseases.
Recent health crises such as SARS (severe
acute respiratory syndrome) and the epidemic of avian influenza have
highlighted the intricate relationships and linkages between people, animals
and ecosystems as well as the ease and rapidity with which diseases travel
across borders.
Emerging and re-emerging diseases also affect
human security and are therefore increasingly part of international policies
for crisis prevention.
Tackling epidemics and pandemics in today’s
globalised world clearly requires international cooperation. With a majority of
human infectious diseases commonly attributed to have originated in animals,
working across disciplines is also necessary.
Recognizing that human health, animal health,
and ecosystem health are inextricably linked, international organisations and
governments have endorsed a worldwide “One Health” approach which seeks to
promote, improve, and defend the health and well-being of all species.
The focus of this global movement is on the
prevention of risks and the mitigation of effects of crises that originate at
the interface between humans, animals and their various environments. Enhancing
cross-sectoral “whole society” cooperation and collaboration between physicians,
veterinarians, other scientific health and environmental professionals is a
priority. The aim is to improve international capacity and management to
achieve these goals.
Asian and European governments are committed
to integrating the One Health approach into their policies.
The European Union has set up a new animal
health strategy and initiated joint infectious diseases research programmes in
key areas such as vector-borne diseases, vaccine development and neglected
zoonoses (diseases transmitted from animals to humans).
Meanwhile, the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) is playing a leading role in regional arrangements involving
animal and human health sectors, in particular, in terms of how to respond to
outbreaks of infectious diseases at a regional level.
Having made an early pledge to integrate the
"One Health" approach in its regional mechanisms, ASEAN is already
committed to going beyond animal health, towards the human health and
environmental sectors. ASEAN is also taking into consideration the influence of
other sectors such as education, infrastructure, trade and tourism.
Recent health crises have in fact encouraged
ASEAN members to work together at a regional level. In addition, ASEAN Plus
Three (China, Japan, and Republic of Korea) have developed the Emerging
Infectious Diseases Programme to tackle pandemics such as SARS and avian flu.
ASEAN has also developed close relations with
the European External Action Service and the European Commission, the executive
arm of the European Union, which have identified cross-border cooperation in
animal and human health as a key feature of their 2007-2011 Strategy for
Regional EU-Asia Cooperation.
A total of 48 million euros worth of EU
regional funds have been invested since 2007 in health-based cross-border
cooperation in Asia, combining animal and human health cooperation for the
first time, in addition to the environment.
A separate Highly Pathogenic Emerging and
Re-emerging diseases (HPED) programme, started by the Commission in January 2010,
aims to strengthen the institutional capacities of ASEAN, SAARC (South Asia
Association for Regional Cooperation) and their Secretariats to control HPED
and to improve epidemic and pandemic preparedness in the region in a
sustainable manner.
For the next three years (2011-2013), the
Commission’s major focus will be on driving the "One Health" approach
forward in tandem with its major international partners.
Asian and European health experts meet through
the Public Health Network set up by the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF) to
encourage cooperation between the two regions on infectious diseases.
There is potential for more Asia Europe
cooperation on One Health initiatives. A recently published EU-funded study1
showcases ten “One Health” case studies in Asia and Europe including emergency
measures to address serious outbreaks of infectious disease, community
engagement projects to improve disease surveillance and control and
communication strategies to change risky behaviour.
The document, which also includes a catalogue
of data bases covering key One Health documents, focal points and One Health
programmes and activities, provides a good basis for further Asia-Europe
discussion – and cooperation – on One Health initiatives.
Such collaboration can be done best through
the framework provided by the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). An ASEM meeting on
One Health is in fact planned for next year.
ASEM can help combine Asia's experience in
communicable diseases outbreaks with the EU's experience in institution
building. Asia and Europe can learn from each other’s experience by exchanging
information and “best practice”, including through collaboration between
universities, research institutes and pharmaceutical companies.
Better coordination of existing initiatives,
projects and programmes is needed through the creation of a One Health ASEM
network and connection of existing data bases.
A stronger involvement of the private sector
will also help boost the impact of One Health initiatives as will greater
outreach efforts to communicate the approach to human and animal health
specialists as well as to the broader public.
Although the One Health movement cannot be
owned by any one government or organisation, governance and coordination –
including between Asia and Europe - are needed to tackle the growing complexity
of the challenges associated with a new global dynamic in which the health of
humans, animals and ecosystems are inextricably linked.
A high-level technical meeting on the One
Health Governance and on the set-up of a Global One Health Network took place
in Atlanta on 31st October and 1st November 2011. The ASEM meeting next year
will also look at the governance issue.(ASEM)
Shada Islam
Philippines Agency
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