The Lancet Calls for Embracing One Health: A Global Policy Shift for a Healthier Future
The Lancet Commission urges a global policy overhaul by adopting the One Health approach to tackle interconnected health crises such as zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and climate change for a sustainable, healthier future.
The Lancet Commission on One Health has issued a compelling call for a major shift in global policies, emphasizing that adopting a comprehensive One Health approach is essential to addressing pressing health crises. As the world grapples with interconnected issues such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, environmental degradation, and climate change, experts warn that failure to act could lead to severe consequences.
This influential report highlights that approximately 60% of known infectious diseases originate from animals, with over 70% of emerging diseases like Ebola and COVID-19 jumping from animals to humans. The pandemic starkly revealed how human health, animal health, and ecosystems are deeply intertwined, underscoring the necessity for an integrated approach. The report stresses that tackling these challenges requires considering human, animal, and environmental health together across policy sectors including agriculture, climate, and economic development.
A key point from the commission is the importance of equity, ensuring that low- and middle-income countries are not left behind in resource allocation and capacity building. The report, developed by an international team of 40 experts led by the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, emphasizes that only through shared efforts and comprehensive strategies can global health security be achieved.
The commission advocates for establishing an international governance structure akin to the Paris Climate Agreement, embedding One Health into legislation, budgets, and educational curricula, and shifting economic paradigms toward sustainability and well-being. It also calls for early warning systems and broader international cooperation, led by agencies such as WHO, WOAH, FAO, and UNEP.
Addressing these interconnected threats proactively is vital to safeguarding future generations and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The report is available in The Lancet and underscores that the future of global health depends on integrated, equitable approaches that recognize our interconnectedness.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-lancet-commission-global-policy-shift.html
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