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Stressors or agents in the exposome that have an impact on human health are
referred here to as health hazard agents and indicate any biological, chemical,
physical or radiological stressor or agent that has the potential to cause harm to
human health.
The level of exposures to health hazards ranges from high-level exposures, that
may result in acute environmental catastrophes, to chronic low-level exposures and
to indirect effects on health, attributed to global environmental change. Following
exposure to health hazards, acute or delayed onset adverse effects on human health
may be observed. These adverse effects may be reversible or irreversible and may
display clinical or subclinical manifestations, such as lung disease, reproductive
effects, teratogenic effects, neurologic effects, cancer. Noteworthy, an important
factor is the genetic predisposition of individuals to diseases, which together with a
combination of exposure to health hazards and duration of exposure, may trigger
the manifestation of adverse effects and disease. As emphasized by Prof. Judith
Stern, distinguished Professor Emerita of Nutrition and Agriculture & Environmental
Sciences at University of California, Davis: “Genetics loads the gun but environment pulls the trigger”.
8.4 One Health and Global Health
Humans, as part of the environment, are impacted by the co-existence in complex,
interdependent relationships, with the companion, production, and wild animals we
depend on for our food, livelihoods, and well-being. A notable consequence of sharing the environment between humans and animals, is the zoonosis process: a naturally occurring mechanism of disease originating in and being transmitted from
animals to humans. As such, zoonoses may be of bacterial, viral, or parasitic origin
and comprise a large percentage of all newly emerging infectious diseases (75%) as
well as existing infectious diseases (60%) [11]. Importantly, antimicrobial resistance of human pathogens, currently one of the major public health threat, is partly
impacted by use of antibiotics in animals raised for meat production and in agriculture [12]. Furthermore, 80% of the agents with potential bioterrorist use are zoonotic pathogens.
One Health is a broad framework for designing and implementing programs,
policies, legislation and research to improve public health outcomes, with a major
focus on zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance. One Health acts locally but involving humans and animals, addressing local transmission among connected habitats at
cities or at region levels [11]. Global Health extends the One Health concept to the
world-wide scale and focuses primarily on the corresponding influencing factors
such as the communication among local ecosystems and the global conditions that
facilitate the worldwide spread of diseases (e.g. through the global interchange of
goods by travelling people, migrating animals etc.). An illustrative example for One
and Global Health concerted efforts is the public health strategy for fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) [13]. Reduction of antibiotic consumption is insufficient
D. C. Schmid
Stressors or agents in the exposome that have an impact on human health are
referred here to as health hazard agents and indicate any biological, chemical,
physical or radiological stressor or agent that has the potential to cause harm to
human health.
The level of exposures to health hazards ranges from high-level exposures, that
may result in acute environmental catastrophes, to chronic low-level exposures and
to indirect effects on health, attributed to global environmental change. Following
exposure to health hazards, acute or delayed onset adverse effects on human health
may be observed. These adverse effects may be reversible or irreversible and may
display clinical or subclinical manifestations, such as lung disease, reproductive
effects, teratogenic effects, neurologic effects, cancer. Noteworthy, an important
factor is the genetic predisposition of individuals to diseases, which together with a
combination of exposure to health hazards and duration of exposure, may trigger
the manifestation of adverse effects and disease. As emphasized by Prof. Judith
Stern, distinguished Professor Emerita of Nutrition and Agriculture & Environmental
Sciences at University of California, Davis: “Genetics loads the gun but environment pulls the trigger”.
8.4 One Health and Global Health
Humans, as part of the environment, are impacted by the co-existence in complex,
interdependent relationships, with the companion, production, and wild animals we
depend on for our food, livelihoods, and well-being. A notable consequence of sharing the environment between humans and animals, is the zoonosis process: a naturally occurring mechanism of disease originating in and being transmitted from
animals to humans. As such, zoonoses may be of bacterial, viral, or parasitic origin
and comprise a large percentage of all newly emerging infectious diseases (75%) as
well as existing infectious diseases (60%) [11]. Importantly, antimicrobial resistance of human pathogens, currently one of the major public health threat, is partly
impacted by use of antibiotics in animals raised for meat production and in agriculture [12]. Furthermore, 80% of the agents with potential bioterrorist use are zoonotic pathogens.
One Health is a broad framework for designing and implementing programs,
policies, legislation and research to improve public health outcomes, with a major
focus on zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance. One Health acts locally but involving humans and animals, addressing local transmission among connected habitats at
cities or at region levels [11]. Global Health extends the One Health concept to the
world-wide scale and focuses primarily on the corresponding influencing factors
such as the communication among local ecosystems and the global conditions that
facilitate the worldwide spread of diseases (e.g. through the global interchange of
goods by travelling people, migrating animals etc.). An illustrative example for One
and Global Health concerted efforts is the public health strategy for fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) [13]. Reduction of antibiotic consumption is insufficient
D. C. Schmid