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Seeking Solutions to Health Crises
Written by Shada Islam
Friday, 11 November 2011
Encouraging cooperation on the One Health program
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 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 organizations 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 programs 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 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 Program 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 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) program,
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 10 “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 behavior.
The document, which also includes a catalogue of data bases covering key One
Health documents, focal points and One Health programs 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. An Asia- Europe Meeting conclave 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 programs is needed
through the creation of a One Health Asem network and connection of existing
data bases.
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.
(Shada Islam is a journalist in Brussels with a long experience of EU-Asia
relations. This is a part of a series of articles being published by Ecorys
Research and Consulting, as member of the COWI Consortium which is under
contract to the European Commission, to look at different aspects of the
multi-faceted Asia-Europe relationship. This article represents the views of
the author and does not commit the European Commission in any way.)
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