One Health, Infectious diseases and Planetary Instability

Webinar on approaches to strengthening integrated action across human, animal, and environmental health systems

Background

The Swiss Public Health Conference in September 2028, themed “Regenerative Public and Planetary Health in Switzerland: Integrating Political, Economic, Social and Ecological Contexts,” provides an opportunity for the Global Health Interest Group to convene regularly over the next two years around this topic.

Through a series of webinars and exchanges, the group aims to examine key issues related to regenerative public and planetary health, generate shared insights, and potentially develop a white paper to inform and contribute to the 2028 conference. Methodologically we will be guided by ‘critical thinking’ and ‘system thinking’.

This first webinar will focus on One Health and planetary health approaches examining integrated and interdisciplinary approaches that recognize the interdependence of human, animal, and ecosystem health. It will explore how environmental degradation, climate change, biodiversity loss, and land-use change contribute to emerging infectious diseases, zoonotic spillover, vector dynamics, and antimicrobial resistance, highlighting the need for coordinated cross-sectoral responses.

The webinar will include a keynote address by Prof. Jakob Zinsstag on the core principles of One Health, with particular emphasis on collaboration at the interface between human and animal health and the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation in addressing emerging health threats. The subsequent discussion will examine integrated surveillance and prevention approaches, including climate-sensitive infectious disease monitoring and vector borne disease surveillance. It will also address governance, equity, and policy dimensions of One Health, with a focus on strengthening collaboration between public health, veterinary, environmental, and policy actors at Swiss and global levels.

Objectives of the webinar

• Introduce key principles of integrated approaches to health like EcoHealth, One Health and Planetary health and the interconnectivity of human and animal infectious disease thereby linking them to ecosystem degradation, climate change, biodiversity loss.
• Discuss integrated, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches that recognize the interdependence of human, animal, and ecosystem health such as surveillance, prevention, and response approaches connecting One Health and planetary health frameworks.
• Explore governance, equity, and policy challenges in strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration and climate-resilient infectious disease prevention at Swiss and global levels.

Expected Outcome

The webinar will generate interdisciplinary insights and strategic priorities on One Health and planetary health to inform future discussions and potential contributions to the Swiss Public Health Conference 2028.

Agenda

12:15 Welcome and introduction to the pathway to the Swiss Public Health conference 2028 (Jan Fehr and Kaspar Wyss)

12:25 Key note on the interconnectivity of human and animal infectious disease and their relationships to ecosystem degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss (Professor Jakob Zinsstag)

12:50 Open discussion among participants with emphasis on:

- Strengthening One Health collaboration across human, animal, environmental, and public health sectors.

- Addressing the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land-use change on emerging infectious diseases.

- Advancing integrated surveillance and early warning systems for zoonotic and vector borne diseases.

- Enhancing governance, equity, and international cooperation for climate-resilient and interdisciplinary health responses. (All)

13:25 Synthesis / Wrap-up and next steps (Jan Fehr and Kaspar Wyss)