One Health

Our health as a species is affected on a daily basis by the health of animals. We live alongside them in our homes, we farm them, help them give birth, hunt them, butcher them, and eat them. We play with them, care for them, and treat their injuries and illnesses. To say we don't live intimately with animals would be a lie. We are closely connected with animals, we inhale their air, our skin touches their blood and sweat, and we consume their flesh and milk. We are one with animals, and our health is one with them.

Some of the most virulent human diseases in recent times have originated from animals. The World Health Organization has estimated that up to 75% of new and emerging diseases are zoonotic (transmitted between animals and people). It's a sobering statistic. One need only look at the devastating consequences of the recent Zika virus, and before that Ebola, West Nile Virus, SARS, Avian Influenza, Mad Cow Disease and a host of others.