Opportunities for One Health policies to reduce poverty

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• One Health Framework
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

• Infectious diseases disproportionately impact impoverished populations, exacerbating poverty and its socioeconomic consequences.
• Vulnerable communities face intertwined challenges of disease, debt, livelihood loss, and reduced economic well-being.
• The One Health approach recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of the One Health approach in poverty alleviation.
• To highlight the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in controlling infectious diseases and reducing poverty.
• To provide evidence encouraging policymakers to adopt One Health strategies for poverty reduction.

Main Methods:

• Review of documented One Health implementations and their assessed impacts.
• Analysis of the linkages between One Health interventions and poverty alleviation outcomes.
• Examination of the economic benefits, direct and indirect, of One Health at the human-animal-environment interface.

Main Results:

• One Health interventions demonstrate potential for reducing the economic burden of infectious diseases.
• The approach can lead to more efficient systems, generating significant savings for affected communities.
• Emerging evidence compellingly links One Health strategies to poverty alleviation.

Conclusions:

• The One Health approach offers a valuable framework for preventing and controlling emerging infectious diseases.
• Implementing One Health strategies can significantly contribute to poverty alleviation efforts.
• Further development of metrics is needed to fully measure the impact of One Health on poverty reduction.