Thursday 20 May: 

ALL FOR ONE HEALTH

Animals, plants and humans share the same eco-system, which requires multiple sectors to work together. How can the public health community collaborate to achieve one health? 

Sub-themes 

Climate change; Sustainable development & sustainable food policies; multi-sectoral approaches to health; WHO’s definition of One health; antimicrobial resistance; food safety; collaboration in public health; cultural diversity

Planning an event or activity on this day?

Submit it here by 9 May 2021.

Official Partner of the day:

Official kick-off webinar with EFAD at 10:00 am CET: "Sustainable and nutritious diets for healthier populations". Learn more and register at https://eupha.org/euphw_page.php?p=HW58 

Programme:

See other events taking place on this day.

KEY MESSAGES

1. Taking a One Health approach recognizes that the health of the ecosystem cannot be separated from the health of all humans, animals, plants, and their living environments. (Source: HEAL)
2. The climate crisis impacts human health because it puts at risk the access to clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply, and safe shelter. (Source: WHO)
3. Professional groups from different sectors need to work together to prevent the overuse of antibiotics in human and animal health, which can lead to antimicrobial resistance. That’s One Health in action. (Source: WHO Europe)
4. Consumers need to feel empowered to reduce food waste, adopt healthier diets and support businesses with sustainable practices, since they have the power to change food systems through their purchasing and lifestyle decisions, and dietitians are key agents to help and lead them toward a healthier and more sustainable diet. (Source: EFAD)
5. Sustainable diets have low environmental impacts, are diversified, nutri­tious, less resource-intensive, and produce minimum waste which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. (Source: FAO)
6. Collaboration between health systems must be assured to achieve “One Health” for all. (Source: WHO)
7. Sustainable Development Goals target “One health” and a sustainable future. We still have 9 years to achieve these goals! (Source: WHO)
8. Front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems provide an opportunity to increase people’s food literacy, empowering them to make better choices; while creating a healthier food environment, improving dietary patterns and promoting healthy lifestyles. (Source: EUPHA)
9. Tackling antimicrobial resistance requires understanding the links between human, animal and environmental health and taking action accordingly . (Source: WHO Europe)
10. Tackling antimicrobial resistance requires: Understanding human behaviour towards using  antibiotics; improving public health competencies; Coordinating our efforts via a One Health approach; Elevating health as a political priority for all sectors (Source: WHO Link)
11. Food safety is everyone’s business! Follow the 5 keys to safer food: Keep clean; Separate raw and cooked; Cook thoroughly; Keep food at safe temperatures; Use safe water and raw materials (Sources: WHO and WHO)
12. Vendors selling food can take steps to ensure food safety by: Regularly washing hands; Handling and storing food correctly; Separating live animals and raw food from ready-to-eat food (Source: WHO Europe)
13. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better transport, food and energy-use choices results in improved health, particularly through reduced air pollution. (Source: Link)
14. The public health sector should consider changes in the education of healthcare workers and the implementation of public health services and interventions. Sustainable development requires urgent action and a global partnership to solve the world's most complex problems. (Source: EUPHA Environmental Health Track report 2020)
15. Public health community and government officials should work to integrate sustainability into national food-based dietary guidelines to help societies to move toward a healthier and more sustainable food patterns (Source: FAO)

FACTS & FIGURES

1. The One Health approach seeks to improve collaboration between professionals from different sectors to help tackle the ongoing threat of antimicrobial resistance. This includes stopping disease from crossing between animals and humans. (Source: WHO Europe Link)
2. 60% of all infectious diseases that impact humans originate in animals. That’s why a One Health approach is needed to tackle antimicrobial resistance in humans and animals. (Source: WHO Europe Link)
3. The European Climate Pact is an EU-wide initiative inviting people, communities and organisations to participate in climate action and build a greener Europe. (Source: European Commission)
4. Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of a microorganism to survive and resist exposure to antimicrobial drugs. There are different types of antimicrobials which work against different types of microorganisms. (Source: WHO Europe Link)
5. The European Region now risks accelerated spread of antimicrobial resistance. The long-term problem of antibiotics being used inappropriately by individuals and in health care settings is worsening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Source: WHO)
6. 44 people fall sick every minute in the European Region from eating contaminated food – that’s 23 million each year. Food safety is everyone’s business, and we all have a role to play in ensuring safe food. (Source: WHO Europe Link)
7. WHO/Europe convened the pan European Commission on Health and Sustainable - rebuilding and strengthening health systems in the light of pandemics – this project brings together high-level experts from a range of fields. (Source: WHO Europe Link)
8. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress alone. (Source: WHO Link)
9. Health workforce mobility and migration need effective governance approaches in order to stop care and drain draining in resource poor settings. This needs a global approach based on solidarity and humanity, as well as greater responsibility of the EU. (Source: EJPH and WHO Europe)
10. The Global Paris Climate Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals and the EU Green Deal should be guiding principles and policy pathways for all the experts, and society at large. Key principles from those documents should provide additional arguments for research, guide advocacy, and any other type of action that will contribute to improving the environment and health. (Source: EUPHA)
11. While the EU has the highest score on average for SDG 1 (End poverty in all its forms everywhere), it has the lowest score on SDG 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) and SDG 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development). (Source: Link)
12. Globally, 25% to 35% of total food produced is lost or wasted, which contributed to 8% to 10% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from 2010 – 2016. (Source: IPCC)
13. The fight against antimicrobial resistance is closely linked to the Sustainable Development Goals. (Source: WHO Europe)

RESOURCES

• Stop the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming an AMR catastrophe: https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/antimicrobial-resistance/publications/2019/antimicrobial-resistance-advocacy-briefs/stop-the-covid-19-pandemic-from-becoming-an-amr-catastrophe
• A One Health Approach to Climate Change and the COVID-19 Pandemic: https://www.env-health.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/One-Health-Briefing.pdf#new_tab
• Environmental Health track report 2020 by EUPHA: https://eupha.org/repository/advocacy/Environmental_Health_Track_Report%20final.pdf
• Sustainable Health Through the Life Span: Nutrition as a Smart Investment for Europe http://www.efad.org/en-us/reports-and-papers/efad-reports/efad-white-paper/
• Green Public Procurement (GPP) is a powerful tool for procuring and serving healthy and sus­tainable food in different settings such as schools, univer­sities, hospitals, etc. Food operators can reduce greenhouse gases by promoting local products, reducing use of plastics, promoting bulk buying, and stock­ing eco-friendly and fair-trade food stuffs, reducing food waste, among other actions (Source: European Commission)

Download the key message document for this theme.

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