ic health and disease prevention. One Health promotes cooperation between representatives from science, authorities and the population. This increased communication helps not only to gain a deeper understanding of the situation, but also to develop better solutions that are supported by all stakeholders and can therefore have a lasting effect. “One Health” therefore means an added value for the health of people and animals and is attractive for health authorities thanks to the financial savings in healing and disease control costs. This is achieved through closer, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary cooperation on a par between human and veterinary medicine, other natural sciences and the humanities.
Efficient, cost-saving and universally applicable
How can the added value of closer cooperation between human and veterinary medicine be shown? With statistical methods, we can demonstrate that with an interdisciplinary approach, the source of zoonoses (diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans) can be found much more quickly than when humans or animals are examined on their own. Using mathematical models and economic analyses, we see that zoonoses such as brucellosis and rabies can be controlled and eventually eliminated at lesser cost if we contain them in reservoir animals instead of just treating affected people. The joint investigation of schistosomiasis in humans and cows in Côte d’Ivoire showed us a previously neglected high proportion of hybrid forms between animal (Schistosoma bovis) and human (Schistosoma haematobium) parasites in humans. This demonstrates how a zoonosis can develop with unrestricted contact between humans and animals.
One Health approaches are not limited to infectious diseases, but can also be used in many other contexts, for example in rehabilitation therapy. Together with psychologists, we developed and examined animal-assisted therapies for patients with brain injuries, in which the well-being of the animals used is just as important as that of humans. In cooperation with microbiologists, we can show that keeping pets in retirement homes does not lead to a risk of antibiotic-resistant bacterial diseases in humans, but that dogs and cats contribute to human wellbeing. Together with cancer epidemiologists, we investigated the conditions for a joint registration of tumours in humans and dogs. Since dogs often develop tumours more quickly than humans in their lifetime, they could be important in monitoring environmental risks to humans.
Adapting health interventions to local ways of living and thinking
The health of humans and animals is strongly influenced by social, cultural and linguistic factors. If we involve sociologists, anthropologists, linguists and cultural scientists on an equal footing in research planning from the start, we can take these influences into account more precisely. In Guatemala, we managed to enter into a dialogue between Maya healers and biomedically trained doctors. This dialogue showed that the differences between the respective approaches to creating knowledge (epistemologies) were simply too great to form linkages. However, we did recognise the importance of letting patients choose their health care system without forcing them into a conflict of loyalty between different medical systems. In this way, their spiritual, emotional and physical health needs can be better considered at the same time. This dialogue is welcomed by the Maya healers. It is just the beginning, and can be continued with mutual respect.
In northern Mali, a Swiss cultural scientist was able to collect more precise data on the health of Tuareg women than a Malian doctor. This was the case because, apparently, the gender difference represents a greater barrier to communication about health and reproduction than differences in national origin. In the same context, a precise linguistic analysis of word meanings in local languages showed that the loss of knowledge and understanding (epistemicide) can (and must) be prevented through an interest in other ways of thinking and that a common 