Public Health, Nutrition & Epidemics20 Concepts & Facts

One Health Approach & Zoonotic Disease GK Questions & Answers

Reviewed by the Master10 Editorial Board for accuracy, clarity and competitive-exam relevance.Editorial Policy

The One Health approach is an integrated, unifying framework that recognizes that the health of human beings, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment are closely linked and interdependent. Historically, human medicine, veterinary sciences, and ecology operated within separate institutional siloes, addressing epidemics and environmental degradation only after cross-species transmission had occurred. However, modern anthropogenic pressures—such as rapid urbanization, tropical deforestation, agricultural encroachment into wildlife habitats, and intensive livestock breeding—have drastically altered biological interfaces. By treating human welfare as inseparable from ecological integrity and animal health, One Health seeks to predict, detect, and control microbial hazards at their points of origin.

Global interest in One Health has escalated due to the rising frequency of zoonotic disease spillovers, where pathogenic agents jump from animal hosts into human populations. Epidemiological research indicates that approximately sixty percent of known human infectious pathogens and over seventy-five percent of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals. High-profile epidemics of recent decades, including Nipah virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), avian influenza, Ebola, and COVID-19, demonstrate the destructive speed of zoonotic transmission across interconnected travel networks. In addition to emerging viruses, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) represents a grave One Health threat. The widespread use of antimicrobials in animal farming, aquaculture, and human therapeutics has accelerated resistant bacterial strains that contaminate soil and aquatic ecosystems.

To institutionalize cross-sectoral collaboration, four major global bodies joined forces to establish the Quadripartite alliance: the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Together, they developed the One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2026) to strengthen national surveillance systems, reduce epidemic vulnerabilities, and protect biodiversity. In India, the central government approved the National One Health Mission, spearheaded by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser. This mission links the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme with livestock disease reporting and wildlife pathogen tracking, while founding the National Institute for One Health in Nagpur to coordinate research across the subcontinent.

Key Concepts & Self-Assessment20 Key Facts

Review key One Health Approach & Planetary Health exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.

Progress: 0/20 Rated 0 Mastered 0 Review Later

One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that sustainably balances and optimizes the health of people, animals, and ecosystems.

German physician Rudolf Virchow famously declared in the nineteenth century that between animal and human medicine there is no dividing line.

Epidemiologist Calvin Schwabe coined the modern academic term "One Medicine" in 1984, advocating unified clinical training across veterinary and human fields.

The Wildlife Conservation Society established the foundational "Manhattan Principles on One World, One Health" in 2004 during a global symposium on cross-species disease transmission.

Scientific estimates indicate that roughly 60 percent of existing human infectious diseases and over 75 percent of newly emerging infectious pathogens are zoonotic in origin.

A zoonosis is an infectious disease that has jumped from a vertebrate animal host to humans, caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, or unconventional agents like prions.

The Quadripartite alliance leading global One Health governance includes the WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The United Nations Environment Programme officially joined the tripartite partnership in March 2022, formally elevating the environmental pillar within global health policy.

The Quadripartite launched the One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2026), targeting six key priorities including zoonoses, neglected tropical diseases, and antimicrobial resistance.

#10

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) develops when microorganisms evolve mechanisms to survive antimicrobials, accelerated by overuse in agriculture, veterinary care, and human medicine.

#11

India formulated its first National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) in 2017, aligning state health strategies with the Global Action Plan on AMR.

#12

Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family act as the primary natural wildlife reservoir for the lethal Nipah virus, which causes severe encephalitis in humans.

#13

India launched the National One Health Mission under the coordination of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to integrate disease tracking across sectors.

#14

The central government approved the establishment of the National Institute for One Health in Nagpur, Maharashtra, as an apex multidisciplinary research center.

#15

Deforestation and forest fragmentation create edge habitats that increase contact rates between wildlife reservoirs, domesticated livestock, and human settlements.

#16

Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic disease endemic to the Western Ghats region of India.

#17

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) in India maintains weekly surveillance of epidemic-prone diseases through a decentralized, district-based reporting network.

#18

Planetary health represents a closely related academic discipline focused on how human-induced disruptions to Earth's natural systems threaten human health and civilization.

#19

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable viral zoonotic disease that is transmitted through animal bites, with domestic dogs accounting for up to 99 percent of human transmissions.

#20

India launched the National Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) with the ambitious public health objective of achieving zero human rabies deaths by 2030.

Subject Specialist Commentary

Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board

Educator's Insight

One Health acknowledges that protecting human wellbeing requires defending the health of animals and surrounding ecosystems. Pathogens do not recognize species boundaries, and human encroachment into natural habitats accelerates infectious spillover. By integrating epidemiology, veterinary science, and environmental monitoring, One Health transforms global defense strategies from reactive emergency response to proactive disease prevention.

In civil services exams, remember that the Quadripartite alliance consists of four distinct bodies: WHO, FAO, WOAH, and UNEP, with UNEP formally joining in 2022. A frequent test trap assumes One Health deals exclusively with zoonotic outbreaks; it equally targets antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and environmental contamination. In India, the National One Health Mission operates under the Principal Scientific Adviser, with its apex research institute located in Nagpur. For rapid exam recall, remember the mnemonic "PAWS": People, Animals, Wildlife, and Soil survive together.

One Health Approach & Zoonotic Disease GK Questions & Answers

Key Concepts & Self-Assessment20 Key Facts

Subject Specialist Commentary

Related Knowledge Topics to Discover

Looking for more GK practice?