Healthy people, healthy animals, and a healthy environment: One Health

When Vet Record and The BMJ produced a joint themed issue in 2005 (https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7527), the guiding concept was One Medicine, with an emphasis on what vets and doctors could learn from each other to benefit both sets of patients.1 Since then, a new model has emerged: One Health, a triad of healthy people, healthy animals, and a healthy environment, all inextricably linked.2

Both journals have proud histories of highlighting the links between animal, human, and environmental health; and events over the past decade—bird and swine flu pandemics, the Ebola outbreaks, the growth of antimicrobial resistance, and concern about the effect of environmental degradation and climate change—have brought a renewed sense of urgency. When deciding on a theme to mark Vet Record’s 130th year, One Health was the obvious choice.