Since the dawn of humanity, our impact towards the environment and animals, and vice versa, has only become more extensive. Compared to our early ancestors who were mere hunters-and-gatherers, we have now evolved into nations that are capable of influence on a global-scale. While novel practices such as animal breeding, agriculture and deforestation has enriched our survival, they have also complicated our relationships with the environment and animals.

For the most part of human history, the interconnected web between humans, environment, and animals has been more conceptual than methodological. While we have acknowledged the existence of the relationship since the Ancient Greek civilization, there was no scientifically rigorous approach of analyzing a looming issue that would inevitably affect the whole world. To fulfill this void, experts convened at Rockefeller University in 2004 and developed the Manhattan Principles to combat health threats to humans, animals and the environment, which now serve as the basis of the “One Health, One World” concept. Then on December 19, 2019, the U.S. Senate unanimously designated January 2020 as “National One Health Awareness Month”.

The name of the discipline, One Health, is a justifiably indefinite term for many people. The meaning cannot be immediately inferred unlike say, physiology or pathology, because it is more of a conceptual approach. One Health is a field of study that aims to analyze human, animal and environmental health as mutually inclusive domains, while using this information to formulate health solutions that will improve all three domains in unison. This is how Dani Kilani would describe his Medical Sciences module, who is a 3rd year One Health student and founder of the Western One Health Club (WOHC).

“It’s one of those modules that takes advantage of different perspectives,” said Kilani. “Other modules mostly see animals as tools to improve human health which serve as animal models. For One Heath, we also use similarities between humans and animals to see what has worked in veterinary and human medicine; some One Health practitioners look at what is going in animal physiology that might be applicable to human physiology and vice versa.”

Antibiotic resistance is one of many public health issues that is currently addressed by One Health. The usage of antibiotics in animals such as cattle has resulted in active forms of antibiotics ending up in animal feces, which could naturally make their way into the soil and water sources. Among many effects, these chemicals at the right concentrations can kill off nitrifying bacteria that are crucial for plants or can be deposited into rivers and oceans as toxic run-offs, affecting the marine wildlife. This is one example of a complex human-animal-environment relationship that has existed since antibiotics started to be given to animals.

To supplement humans’ growing demand for meat products, two-thirds of global antibiotic production goes towards agriculture, to either prevent infection or promote the growth of livestock. Unfortunately, the use of animal feces as manure has aggravated the human-to-environment relationship. We are exacerbating the same effects as animals have with their feces but more disproportionately in magnitude. An equally important problem, however, is seen at the human-to-animal relationship.

“As you know, genes can be largely transferable. The concern to humans comes in when a resistance gene is transferred to pathogenic organisms, which then cause infections in animals and humans,” said Kilani. “This becomes a problem. We would be dealing with resistant infections. By 2050, it’s been predicted that it will be a cause of more human deaths than cancer will.”

While it is difficult to see all these effects immediately with our own eyes, there is no doubt that these relationships still exist. One of many hurdles that the Western One Health Club (WOHC) is trying to overcome is helping Western students recognize their involvement in One Health. Kilani emphasizes that there is never an issue that is affecting only the environment. In almost all cases, the issue is going to link both humans and animals to the very same problem, requiring us to look at the bigger context and encourage experts of their own fields to participate in One Health initiatives locally, nationally, and globally.

“I think it’s important to be aware of the larger context that your discipline can provide to work being done within these issues. Often times, people might be missing the potential that they could gain from a One Health approach,” said Kilani. “For example, there are researchers here at Western trying to find antibiotic alternatives through gene editing. They could work with other disciplines addressing antibiotic resistance to gain an understanding of how their work fits into other standpoints on the issue.”

In light of the One Health Awareness Month, Kilani and the WOHC have been constantly engaging in awareness work, spreading the word about what One Health really is as an interdisciplinary method. Kilani hopes that in spreading awareness, collaborative projects will become more common between researchers across faculties, sectors and discipline.

“We are not arguing that anyone should stop pursuing their own passions. Instead, we're saying let's work together as people who are different,” said Kilani. “In the end, what we are really looking to accomplish is diversity of perspectives because this is what will lead to better outcomes.”

If you are interested in One Health at Western University, visit www.westernonehealthclub.org