PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020 - 15

One Health
in a Pandemic
By Dr. James Holt

This pandemic should have mobilized the One Health
professionals into a frenzy of activity. It had all the
qualities of a One Health Crisis. A true zoonotic
disease. There were plenty of subjects for research
that could have been addressed by environmental
specialists, medical researchers, pharmacological
companies, epidemiologists, etc. However, it didn't.
As many, if not all, of you know, One Health as a
concept requires collaboration among individuals
from multiple disciplines and governmental bodies
from local, state and federal entities. It takes people
working on a problem that is not a core responsibility but is
often done when there is free time from everything else.
Alas, not yet! This crisis has had the same effect on One Health
that is has had on virtually all of our lives. People have run
back to the things they are familiar with and stayed in their
"silos." It has been a missed opportunity. Clinging to what is
familiar because so little is the same. Besides the distraction
of constantly tracking the effects of the pandemic, it is hard
to think ahead. Planning a future when you don't know what
that future will look like seemed pointless. Will people still
get together in large conventions or are we regulated to
zoom meetings forever? I don't have the answers, only more
questions.

Perhaps as we adjust to whatever our new
circumstance is, we will be able to continue to push
One Health forward. Perhaps it will become more
mature and a regular part of our dialect by the time
the next pandemic comes along.
On a brighter note, One Health continues to mature.
I participate in three groups currently. The One
Health Task Force, which is a subcommittee of the
Animal Health Commission for the PA Department
of Agriculture, has participation from eight
different state agencies as well as federal agencies
and numerous universities. Additionally, I participated in the
One Health Regional Consortium. This is a group of state OH
organizations from PA, NJ, DE and MD. We hope to bring more
awareness to One Health in our region and learn from each
other. There is also a group that has formed at Penn State
University recently that is focused on research and education.
I believe One Health is the way that we will improve the
health of humans, animals and the environment in the future.
Hopefully the not too distance future.

Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association | 15
PVMA Keystone Veterinarian Fall 2020

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