ONE HEALTH

Coordinator: Raphaella Barbosa Meirelles Bartoli

Since 2008, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have been developing joint strategies within the “One Health” concept with the aim of reducing the risks of emergence and spread of infectious diseases resulting from the interface between animals, humans and ecosystems. One Health is the integrated and inseparable vision of human, animal and environmental health. The unbalanced interaction between humans, animals and the environment promotes the emergence of zoonoses, which are diseases common to humans and animals, as well as those transmitted by vectors or acquired from a common source. Of human infectious diseases, 60% are zoonotic and in the last three decades, 75% of emerging diseases in humans have been classified as such. The prevention and elimination of zoonoses in humans largely depend on measures adopted against these diseases in animals, confirming the importance of veterinary medicine in public health. One Health connects veterinary medicine, human medicine and all other health professionals to improve public health actions and reduce global health risks. The One Health approach defines policies, legislation, research and implementation of programs, in which multiple sectors communicate and work together on actions to mitigate risks and maintain health. Currently, veterinary medicine is one of the professions with the widest range of areas of activity in Brazil and in the world. The activities of the veterinarian go far beyond clinical care for animals. It also involves animal health protection, public health, unidisciplinary and multidisciplinary research, among many others. The National Health Council included veterinary medicine in the list of health professions, by Resolution CNS No. 287/1998. In Public Health, veterinarians work directly in the SUS: in Health Surveillance, especially in the inspection and monitoring of products of animal origin; in Environmental Surveillance; in the surveillance and control of vectors and zoonoses; in Epidemiological Surveillance and Workers' Health; and in Primary Health Care, since they can be part of the team of the Expanded Support Center for Family Health (NASF-AB). They are responsible for research into food production technologies, studies of public health measures related to zoonoses and environmental management. Therefore, this research project aims to encompass work that develops an interconnection between human health, animal health and balance with the environment, focusing on research activities, health education, and interconnection between these sectors.