One Health Initiative
One Health is an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment.
The World is changing, COVID has accelerated that change in countless ways. I believe that the unprecedented collaboration between disciplines and scientists from all over the world will be looked at as one of the most incredible feats in our modern world. My hope is that this collaboration (and open access to scientific literature) continues and inspires other professionals to integrate their practices and their knowledge to work together to improve the lives of humans, animals and the environment. In fact, there is something called the One Health Initiative which aims to do just that.
So, what does this mean for us and our pets? What does it mean for nutrition? The reality is that there are numerous research gaps when it comes to nutrition, and even more when it comes to companion animal nutrition. The environment and how we interact with it also has a significant impact on the health of all living things. Much of the research we rely on for canine and feline supplementation, or management of disease is rooted in human research.
Many medical and nutrition professionals have recognized these significant gaps in human and animal medicine and nutrition. Livestock nutrition is arguably the most advanced of all nutrition sciences, followed by human nutrition, and it is frustrating to see the lack of knowledge sharing & collaboration between those and companion animal fields. This is a significant issue because it leaves treatment gaps for canines and felines such as cognitive dysfunction, allergies, gastrointestinal issues, diabetes, heart disease and more.
The One Health Initiative has provided individuals in many disciplines to collaborate and advance multiple fields of science to study and advance knowledge of zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and security and environmental factors. We look forward to providing updates and perspective on this initiative in the future.
The One Health Initiative provides opportunity for collaboration between veterinary and human physicians and researchers to advance both fields.
Source: https://onehealthinitiative.com/about/[vc_single_image image=”3888″ img_size=”600×427″ onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://onehealthinitiative.com/about/”]
