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. 2021 Jan 29;44(1 Suppl 1):e20200256.
doi: 10.1590/1678-4685-GMB-2020-0256. eCollection 2021.

Control and prevention of infectious diseases from a One Health perspective

Joel Henrique Ellwanger  1   2 , Ana Beatriz Gorini da Veiga  3 , Valéria de Lima Kaminski  4 , Jacqueline María Valverde-Villegas  1   5 , Abner Willian Quintino de Freitas  6 , José Artur Bogo Chies  1   2
Affiliations

Control and prevention of infectious diseases from a One Health perspective

Joel Henrique Ellwanger et al. Genet Mol Biol. .

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caught the attention of the global community and rekindled the debate about our ability to prevent and manage outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. Many alternatives are suggested to address these urgent issues. Some of them are quite interesting, but with little practical application in the short or medium term. To realistically control infectious diseases, human, animal, and environmental factors need to be considered together, based on the One Health perspective. In this article, we highlight the most effective initiatives for the control and prevention of infectious diseases: vaccination; environmental sanitation; vector control; social programs that encourage a reduction in the population growth; control of urbanization; safe sex stimulation; testing; treatment of sexually and vertically transmitted infections; promotion of personal hygiene practices; food safety and proper nutrition; reduction of the human contact with wildlife and livestock; reduction of social inequalities; infectious disease surveillance; and biodiversity preservation. Subsequently, this article highlights the impacts of human genetics on susceptibility to infections and disease progression, using the SARS-CoV-2 infection as a study model. Finally, actions focused on mitigation of outbreaks and epidemics and the importance of conservation of ecosystems and translational ecology as public health strategies are also discussed.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: Abner Willian Quintino de Freitas is CEO of Pedra Circular, a startup of risk management in disasters, Brazil. Jacqueline María Valverde-Villegas is a researcher at Laboratoire coopératif IGMM/ABIVAX, Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Montpellier, France. No other conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1 -
Figure 1 -. The One Health perspective. The intensity and types of interactions between humans, animals, and the environment determine the circulation of pathogens between these three actors. Therefore, these interactions can control infectious diseases or facilitate the emergence of outbreaks and epidemics, depending on how humans interact with the environment and other animals. The One Health perspective is used to understand the emergence and spread of infectious diseases and the best ways to control them. Adapted from Ellwanger (2019).
Figure 2 -
Figure 2 -. Actions for infectious disease control and prevention. The interactions between humans and pathogens can be facilitated or avoided depending on the presence or absence of actions of control and prevention of infectious diseases. Moreover, host genetics affects host-pathogen interactions: for example, HLA alleles and genetic polymorphisms can increase or decrease susceptibility to infectious diseases. These genetic traits also affect the progression of infectious diseases. This figure is based on references and discussions mentioned throughout the article.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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