The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the School of Advanced Studies on Food and Nutrition of the University of Parma, with the collaboration of the Catholic University Sacro Cuore of Piacenza, have organized the "One Health" event online on 9 and 10 June as part of the "Summer School" program.

The program, recordings and presentations of the initiative are available.

Speakers from different backgrounds and professionals dealt with multiple topics according to the "One Health" approach: food-borne zoonoses, Escherichia coli STEC, avian flu, antibiotic resistance, identification of emerging risks, historical aspects of the "One Health" approach and others.

The "One Health" approach

"One Health" recognizing that the health of people, animals and ecosystems are interconnected - promotes the application of a collaborative, multidisciplinary, intersectoral and coordinated approach to address potential or already existing risks that originate from the interface between the environment-animal-human ecosystems.

Zoonotic diseases, foodborne diseases and antimicrobial resistance are examples of these relationships, and it is in these fields that a "One Health" approach is particularly relevant.

Indeed, it is not a new vision, but changes leading to the emergence and re-emergence of some diseases (climate change, growth of human population, expansion of international travels and trade, etc.) have certainly increased the relevance of this multidisciplinary approach.

The current COVID-19 pandemic is just another example that makes this discussion more relevant than ever.

Source: EFSA