One Health for living beings and ecosystems
A comprehensive approach to tackle complex issues
The One Health approach takes account of the close interactions between human, animal, plant and environmental health. It aims to break down barriers between disciplines and bring together scientists, professionals and decision-makers from different sectors, in order to gain a better understanding of health risks and take more effective action to prevent them.
The One Health approach stresses the importance of not viewing health crises in isolation. In order to better prevent and anticipate new health crises, we need to understand their environmental determinants and the interdependencies between the various parts of the living world.
A European association to promote One Health
An international reference definition
In 2021, the "One Health" high-level group bringing together experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) issued a reference definition for the One Health concept: "One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment [...] are closely linked and inter-dependent. The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development".
Why is it important to take a holistic approach?
While exchanges of pathogens between animals and humans date back to the very beginnings of domestication, human activities have steadily intensified the spread of pathogens and contact between different species, increasing the risk of emergence of new zoonotic diseases.
The combined effects of the growing world population, the increase in the number of domestic animals and the rise in transport have accelerated the spread of pathogens. At the same time, environmental degradation, deforestation and the development of cities worldwide have led to greater contact between wild animals, farm animals and humans, along with the transfer of new viruses and bacteria from wild ecosystems.
Moreover, exposure to chemicals and pollutants generated by human activities is constantly increasing. This has health consequences, particularly due to the combination of their toxic effects, many of which remain poorly understood. The widespread use of antibiotics, other antimicrobials and plant protection products has encouraged the emergence of resistant pathogens and organisms, which are becoming increasingly difficult to control.
Climate change is also facilitating the adaptation of animal vectors of pathogens to new geographical areas.
For ANSES and a growing number of stakeholders, the One Health approach also encompasses One Welfare, which recognises the direct links between animal and human welfare.
How old is the One Health concept?
Although the issues have been around for a long time, the One Health concept has been gaining prominence since the early 2000s, with growing awareness of the close links between human health, animal health and the overall state of the environment, as well as the need to break down barriers between different health approaches.
In particular, this greater awareness gave rise to a tripartite agreement signed in 2010 by the WHO, WOAH and FAO. In 2022, this was broadened to include UNEP, therefore becoming a quadripartite cooperation.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated awareness and the desire to promote implementation of this concept, both in terms of scientific research and practical action.
ANSES: a fully committed One Health player
Given the broad scope of its missions and areas of expertise, ANSES is, by its very nature, an integral player in the One Health approach. In order to break down barriers between human, animal and plant health topics, the scientists working at the Agency or in its expert committees are drawn from backgrounds that encompass and facilitate exchanges between numerous scientific fields: veterinarians, doctors, pharmacists, as well as engineers and researchers in epidemiology, genetics, ecotoxicology, chemistry, physics, hydrology, human and social sciences, etc.
Many of the themes addressed by the Agency provide specific examples of this cross-cutting approach:
- Vectors: certain insects, mites such as ticks and worms transmit pathogens to humans, animals or plants. The Agency is particularly interested in emerging pests. Climate change promotes the adaptation of certain pathogen vectors to new geographical areas, leading to the emergence in Europe of new diseases that threaten the health of animals, plants or humans. The Agency has therefore carried out expert appraisals on the risks and impacts of several vectors that transmit pathogens, such as the tiger mosquito in mainland France and ticks of the genus Hyalomma. It has also studied innovative methods of vector control, which could be applied in the fields of animal, human or plant health.
- Zoonoses: the majority of human infectious diseases are of animal origin. Zoonoses can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa through direct contact, via the environment, or through the consumption of contaminated food. Some zoonoses can be transmitted by vectors. Human activity plays a major role in the spread of these diseases.
- Resistance: the Agency watches out for the emergence of micro-organisms that are resistant to antimicrobials in animals and food. It also monitors the use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine. Lastly, it studies and monitors the resistance of plant pests to plant protection products.
- Hazards to plants: plant parasites and pests, vectors of disease, plants that compete with crops and invasive plants not only jeopardise plant health, crop yields and biodiversity in natural environments, they can also be harmful to human and animal health, by causing respiratory diseases or allergies, or because of their stinging or toxic properties. By degrading the quality of foodstuffs, they can also threaten food security.
- Climate change: ANSES studies how new environmental conditions caused by climate change affect the health of animals and plants. It has carried out expert appraisals on the impact of global warming on worker health and animal health, and on the health and environmental risks of wastewater reuse in response to the increasing scarcity of water resources.
- Exposome: this encompasses all the non-genetic risk factors for health, by considering the totality of exposure to which a human is subjected throughout their lifetime. ANSES has developed methods and forged partnerships to take better account of the exposome in risk assessment. It also funds research projects on the subject through the National Research Programme for Environmental and Occupational Health.
- Bee health: many different factors impact the health of bees, including pathogens, predators, biodiversity, environmental changes, nutritional conditions and exposure to plant protection products.
Comparing data from multiple sources
Implementation of the One Health approach also relies on the use of data from multiple sources. ANSES has launched several projects to cross-reference data collected on human and animal health and on the environment. This requires the development of IT systems capable of handling large quantities of data, better exchange of data between public bodies, and the development of methodologies and indicators for cross-checking these data.
Since 2025, the Agency has been coordinating the Green Data for Health initiative, which aims to make it easier to cross-reference environmental data with health data, in order to improve understanding of the impact of environmental factors on health.
ANSES’s main projects and partnerships relating to One Health
ANSES is or has been involved in several major programmes with a strong One Health focus:
- PARC (2022–2029): the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals is seeking to develop chemical risk assessment according to an integrated approach. It is being coordinated by ANSES and brings together 200 partners from 29 countries;
- DIM1Health (2017–2021) and DIM1Health 2.0 (2021–2030): the One Health field of major interest (DIM) is a research network supported by the Ile-de-France Region. It was initiated and is being coordinated by ANSES, and brings together several animal and human health research teams in the region. The Agency continues to be extensively involved in DIM1Health 2.0;
- European Joint Programme (EJP) on One Health (2018–2023): this programme, devoted to zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance and emerging risks, brought together 44 partners from 22 European countries and was coordinated by ANSES. It provided funding for 31 scientific projects.
The Agency has forged numerous national and international partnerships with institutions and research organisations in the fields of animal, human and environmental health. Its national reference laboratories for animal health and food safety work closely with the national reference centres for human health. The Agency also holds reference mandates from the European Union, WHO, FAO and WOAH.
| A European association to promote One Health ANSES is a founding member of the European One Health Association (EOHA), established in 2009, which brings together more than 30 research organisations across Europe. The aim of this association is to support promotion and implementation of the One Health concept in Europe, particularly by strengthening its environmental dimension. It helps to organise the scientific community, disseminate knowledge and foster cooperation between different sectors. The EOHA is also leading several initiatives designed to improve practical implementation of the One Health approach in Europe. |
ANSES is coordinating the inter-agency working group for the One Health research programme, launched in 2025. This brings together 60 members from 37 institutions, and has been tasked with identifying the obstacles, successes, research needs and data to be pooled in order to make this approach fully operational.
ANSES sits on the committee of the One Health Institute, led by the University of Lyon 1 and attached to the EID@Lyon University Research School. This institute was set up on 1 October 2024 with the aim of raising awareness and training public and private decision-makers in the One Health approach, particularly with regard to emerging infectious diseases.
The Agency is involved in the working groups of the government's Environmental Health Group, a national advisory body whose purpose is to coordinate national and local actions relating to health and the environment according to a One Health approach. It brings together representatives of the State, parliamentarians, local authorities, associations and companies.
ANSES is a member of the Prezode international initiative, which was launched in 2021. Its aim is to understand the risks of emergence of infectious zoonotic diseases, and to develop and implement innovative methods to improve prevention and early detection of these emerging threats.