Realising a global One Health disease surveillance approach: insights from wastewater and beyond

Abstract

One Health is a recognition of the shared environment inhabited by humans, animals and plants, and the impact of their interactions on the health of all organisms. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for a framework of pathogen surveillance in a tractable One Health paradigm to allow timely detection and response to threats to human and animal health. We present case studies centered around the recent global approach to tackle antimicrobial resistance and the current interest in wastewater testing, with the concept of “one sample many analyses” to be further explored as the most appropriate means of initiating this endeavor.

There is growing recognition of the need for a One Health approach for coordinated management of disease threats affecting humans, animals, and the environment. In this Perspective, the authors discuss a roadmap for a One Health disease surveillance system focusing on the example of wastewater surveillance.