A group of academics has come together to call for a national centre for disease control in Australia, similar to that of one in the United States, to help manage diseases spread between humans, animals, and the environment.
Authored by Dr Sandra Steele from the University of Melbourne, associate professor Jenny-Ann Toribio from the University of Sydney, and Dr Siobhan Mor from the University of Liverpool, the A vision of a One Health system for Australia: on the need to rethink our health system paper was published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
“We implore policymakers to seize this opportunity to create a truly integrated centre that can tackle future health threats through fostering multisectoral, One Health approaches in Australia,” the health experts argued.
The “One Health” approach used in the paper was endorsed by G20 health ministers in the Rome Declaration, with the goal of addressing health risks from the interactions between humans, animals, and the environment.
Establishing an Australian CDC was also a recommendation in the independent review of Australia’s response to COVID-19 published last week, with Australia being the only OECD country without a national CDC.
The paper argued under a One Health model, animal patients should be included in Medicare as veterinary costs are currently borne by owners.
“Under a One Health system, costs incurred when ruling out a zoonotic disease or performing culture and sensitivity tests to inform antibiotic prescription in an animal patient could be considered an eligible cost under an expanded Medicare scheme, due to the implications for human health,” the academics argued.
A key argument in the paper was the need for greater communication between doctors and veterinarians about disease in Australia.
“Even though the primary role of doctors is to manage disease in their human patients, veterinarians are trained in recognising and managing risks posed by zoonoses, as well as implementing treatment in animal patients where indicated,” the paper stated.
“Inclusion of One Health in clinical training and continuing professional education would build workforce capacity of frontline service providers, strengthening knowledge and skills in relevant areas and also facilitating mutual understanding of the complementary skill sets of each profession.”
The paper further called for the sharing of data between all health sectors, and argued integration of veterinary knowledge would strengthen frontline services.
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