Our Planet, Our Health (MULT10022)

This interdisciplinary subject will introduce students to the core ideas and applications of One Health. ‘One Health’ is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems. This subject highlights the global importance of this concept for addressing complex ‘wicked’ societal problems. Current issues with major global impacts such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, threats to food security, antimicrobial antibiotic resistance and loss of biodiversity all exemplify the need for a One Health approach. While scientific and biomedical disciplines have historically been the core of One Health work, One Health also extends beyond science-based disciplines to incorporate relevant aspects of the humanities. This subject offers a contemporary, practical and leading-edge skillset to students of medical science and other disciplinary backgrounds. It provides a deeper and broader understanding of the complex interplay between human, animal and ecosystem health including the historical and current influence of anthropogenic change in different cultures and contexts." Key themes that will be explored during the course, with reference to case studies, will include:

• The historical progression of animal health, wildlife health and conservation;
• Sustainable agricultural development, food security and human nutrition across a range of country/development contexts;
• Emerging infectious diseases at the animal/human interface, the role of infection reservoirs, intermediate hosts and vectors;
• The ecology of microbial pathogens, including food borne diseases and the development of antimicrobial resistance;
• Surveillance and response in a One Health framework;
• Societal norms and behaviours in relation to the intersection of human and animal health;
• The holistic concept of “One Health” in the context of indigenous health; and
• Ethical, political, cultural and governance challenges in the “One Health” domain.