One Health: A Critical Approach in Vaccination

1. Scientific Definition of One Health

One Health is an integrated, interdisciplinary scientific framework focused on achieving balanced and simultaneous optimization of human, animal, and ecosystem health. This approach is grounded in the well-established principle that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the broader environment are profoundly interconnected and mutually dependent.

Key Scientific Basis: More than 75% of emerging infectious diseases originate from animals. Therefore, any intervention aimed at prevention, surveillance, or response is inherently incomplete and less effective without a One Health perspective.

2. The Role of One Health in the International Congress on Vaccines and Vaccination

In the First International Congress on Vaccines and Vaccination, the One Health framework is positioned as a central conceptual and strategic pillar, as vaccination represents the intersection point between human, animal, and environmental health.

A. Animal Vaccination: The First Line of Defense Against Zoonosis
Targeted vaccination of livestock and wildlife—by eliminating or suppressing pathogen reservoirs—is among the most cost-effective and impactful strategies for indirect protection of human health. Classic examples include rabies, brucellosis, and others.

B. Combating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Through Vaccination
By reducing the burden of infectious diseases in both humans and animals, vaccination decreases the need for antibiotic use and directly disrupts the cycle of antimicrobial resistance.
Today, AMR is recognized as one of the three critical global threats on the One Health agenda.

C. Vaccine Research and Development: Where Disciplines Converge
New vaccine development models—from shared technological platforms to multispecies vaccines—require close collaboration among human health experts, veterinarians, ecologists, and environmental scientists.

Such interdisciplinary synergy enables more accurate prediction of emerging threats and the design of vaccines that remain effective under evolving environmental conditions.

3. Key Scientific References

• WHO – A principal member of the Quadripartite collaboration and co-author of the global One Health strategic framework.
• WOAH (formerly OIE) – The authoritative body on standards for animal disease control and vaccination.
• CDC– Implements an active One Health program focused on monitoring and responding to zoonotic diseases.

Conclusion
One Health = One Security

Advancing the One Health approach through vaccine development is not merely a scientific responsibility—it is a strategic imperative for ensuring global health security, food system stability, and ecosystem resilience.