In this week's PLoS Medicine , Jonna Mazet (University of California, Davis) and colleagues describe their work in the Tanzania-based HALI Project, which adopts the "One Health" approach to address emerging zoonoses, recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. There is a strong need for integrated health approaches, the authors argue, because explosive human population growth and environmental changes have resulted in increased numbers of people living in close contact with wild and domestic animals. Every day thousands of children and adults die from underdiagnosed diseases that have arisen at this human–animal–environment interface, especially diarrheal and respiratory diseases in developing countries. "Integrated policy interventions that simultaneously and holistically address multiple and interacting causes of poor human health—unsafe and scarce water, lack of sanitation, food insecurity, and close proximity between animals and humans—will yield significantly larger health benefits than policies that target each of these factors individually and in isolation'', the authors say.
Funding: This publication was made possible through support provided to the Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program by the Office of Agriculture, Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, United States Agency for International Development under terms of Grant No. PCE-G-00-98-00036-00. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USAID. The funders played no role in the decision to submit the article or in its preparation.
Competing Interests:The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation:Mazet JAK, Clifford DL, Coppolillo PB, Deolalikar AB, Erickson JD, et al. (2009) A ''One Health''Approach to Address Emerging Zoonoses: The HALI Project in Tanzania. PLoS Med 6(12): e1000190.doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000190
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Jonna Mazet
University of California-Davis
Wildlife Health Center
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PLOS Medicine