Dear Editor:

Emergency response in a natural disaster causing evacuation, transportation, and mass gathering in the affected areas may contrast prevention strategies in the COVID-19 pandemic, including physical distancing and home isolation[1]. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, which was adopted at the Third UN World Conference, proposed protection of livelihoods and productive assets (e.g., livestock)[2]; thus, developing disaster preparedness plans/responses using the One Health multidisciplinary approach is urgently needed as part of pandemic planning. In the challenging era of COVID-19 and natural disasters, the One Health approach on human–animal–environmental interface to infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and noncommunicable diseases are necessary. Amuasi et al. proposed the three dimensional approach of shared environment, safe food systems, and shared medicines/interventions at each interface [3]. We have incorporated the three-dimensional concept into the One Health approach in the COVID-19 pandemic (Table 1).

Rethinking One Health approach in the challenging era of COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters

All authors

Hajime Kanamori , Hiroaki Baba & David J. Weber

https://doi.org/10.1080/20008686.2020.1852681

Published online:

23 November 2020

As seen in the early cases of COVID-19 potentially associated with the seafood market where seafood, bats, marmots, and snakes were available, the food system has challenges for bioactive ingredients, food safety and security, and sustainability[4]. The transmission route of COVID-19 is mainly human-to-human, but some animals (e.g., cats, dogs, tigers, and minks) that had close contact with humans became infected with SARS-CoV-2, that in some cases led to a mild to severe respiratory disease[5]. Although SARS-CoV-2 has been identified from the environment, action plans for the environmental aspect of One Health are not well established. Given the prolonged incubation time, virus shedding from asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases of COVID-19, and the underestimated incidence and prevalence in resource-limited countries, wastewater-based surveillance may be a promising tool as SARS-CoV-2 RNA is excreted in the feces[6].

The Asia-Pacific region is vulnerable to natural disasters partially due to climate change, seismic activities, and human development[7]. After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, many survivors were forced to live in evacuation centers under unsanitary conditions leading to infectious disease outbreaks[8]. Staying at a shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic likely would lead to an outbreak because of a lack of physical distancing and the inability to wears masks at all times (e.g. eating). The 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident and the 2015 Nepal earthquake affected the agriculture sector and animal welfare, and zoonoses occurred [9,10], necessitating a cooperative approach between human and animal health professionals. As the threats to human health posed by emerging infectious diseases and natural disasters have increased substantially due to global travel, population growth, urbanization, and climate changes, it is essential to rethink the One Health approach based on multisectoral and multidisciplinary aspects.