Health Emergency: A Pandora’s box?

 

  Don’t you think there should be a holistic and interdisciplinary           approach that work with the human-animal-environment interface?      An approach to design and implement programmes, policies,   legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and   work together to achieve better public health outcomes. Countries   with weak health infrastructure – mostly in developing countries –   will be the least able to cope to prepare and respond in case of health emergencies. Shouldn’t we work towards building climate-resilient health systems and tracking national progress in protecting health from climate change and other environmental manoeuvres? The substantial risks posed by climate change to health, the likely increased risks of vector-borne diseases due to climate change reinforces the need for a preventive approach and integrated collaboration. The interdependence of human, animal, plant and ecosystem health is recognized globally. Various initiatives and stakeholders play an active role in their implementation. The health benefits of addressing global environmental challenges such, and their interrelations are immense. From prolonged droughts to dangerous sun exposures, the weather affects human health in numerous ways, and climate change has already ratcheted environmental health threats up a notch.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the spotlight on the importance of the correlation between animal and human health, nutrition and food, access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and their link with the environment and climate change. Shouldn’t a comprehensive response must, therefore, include an increased integration of the environment dimension. As per the UNEPs One Health plan ‘There is an urgent need to support and get involved in the activities to increase the integration of the environment dimension and to mitigate the current imbalances in the attention given to human and animal health, vis-à-vis environment health. We need valuable scientific knowledge and science-policy perspectives in the areas of zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food systems, and biosafety, as well as expand its role in supporting integrated health outcomes through existing and new initiatives.’

We should understand the importance of health and well-being of cross-cutting and preventive approaches, including gender mainstreaming, the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and ecosystem-based approaches at all stages. Biodiversity loss is a health risk multiplier by aggravating environmental challenges. It underlines the benefits for health and well-being in protecting and restoring biodiversity, ecosystems and their services; human, animal, plant and ecosystem health are interdependent, and emphasizes in that regard the value of an integrated approach that fosters cooperation between environmental conservation and the human health, animal health and plant health sectors. We should mainstream the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to enhance ecosystem resilience by taking actions to halt biodiversity loss, and to promote coordination between policies and actions aimed at improving biodiversity conservation, food safety and human health as an important safeguard for current and future health and human well-being. Before a potential or actual disaster emerges, the resilience of any society can always be strengthened. Every country has important, untapped assets in civil society that go beyond public employees and leaders, and these untapped assets can play a critical role in minimizing fatalities from pandemics. When these trained communicators are identified rather than a governmental agency or media organization, their information is far more likely to be perceived by the public as free of political and financial self-interest, and therefore more credible than much of the emergency communication and guidance that comes from standard sources. Don’t you think the responsive and deterrent capabilities of the CSOs could ultimately save lives and reduce casualties—quite possibly in the many millions?