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Review
. 2025 Jul 31;14(1):77.
doi: 10.1186/s40249-025-01337-1.

One Health: enabler of effective prevention, control and elimination of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases

Tianyun Li  1   2 , Xiao-Nong Zhou  3   4   5 , Marcel Tanner  6   7
Affiliations
Review

One Health: enabler of effective prevention, control and elimination of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases

Tianyun Li et al. Infect Dis Poverty. .

Abstract

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in different soci-ecological settings create unprecedented challenges for global public health and socio-economic development. The One Health concept is based on a systemic, transdisciplinary approach and hence captures the interactions between humans and animals, in a given socio-ecological setting. It could comprehensively address the human-animal-environment interface, the core of zoonotic diseases. Consequently, One Health approach is effective in controlling and eliminating the promoting factors of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). We explored key principles for the prevention, control and elimination of EIDs through reviewing the transition of public health and global health strategies towards One Health and summarizing some successful experiences in effectively controlling EIDs. Recognizing heterogeneities and strengthening "surveillance-response systems" are the two key principles. It is recommended to promote health equity and conduct cost-effectiveness analysis to address the challenges of heterogeneity. Cross-sectoral collaboration and transdisciplinarity should be strengthened to facilitate the utilizing of systems thinking.

Keywords: Ecosystems health; Emerging infectious diseases; One Health; Public health; Re-emerging infectious diseases; Systems thinking.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: Xiao-Nong Zhou is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Infectious Diseases of Poverty. Marcel Tanner is an Associate Editor of the journal Infectious Diseases of Poverty. They have not involved in the peer-review or handling of the manuscript. The other authors have no other competing interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The development of global strategies as response to the global health challenges over the past 50 years [11]. The pictures show the cover pages of the respective international reports; Abbreviations: AIDS Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, ARVs antiretrovirals, HFA Health for all by the year 2000, HPSR Health Policy and Systems Research, PHC Primary Health Care, TB Tuberculosis, UN United Nations, UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund, WB World Bank, WDR World development report, WHO World Health Organization
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Recommendations for prevention, control and elimination of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases from One Health perspective. Abbreviation: MED minimum essential dataset
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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