Economic benefits of One Health approach confirmed in World Bank report

The report “People, Pathogens and Our Planet”, prepared by the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/ The World Bank, concludes that early control of zoonotic disease is both cost-effective and prevents human disease.

 According to the report, because surveillance, diagnosis, and control of zoonotic disease take place at the interface between animals and humans, systematic communication and substantial coordination between human, wildlife, and veterinary health services is an important practical necessity. One Health is an approach to ensure that this critically important interdisciplinary collaboration occurs.

 Some economic highlights from the report: “the economic losses from six major outbreaks of highly fatal zoonoses between 1997 and 2009 amounted to at least US$80 billion”; “if these outbreaks had been prevented, the benefits of the avoided losses would have averaged $6.7 billion per year”

For the full report, click here

For PDF link to entire report click here

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2012/06/12/000333038_20120612014653/Rendered/PDF/691450ESW0whit0D0ESW120PPPvol120web.pdf 

Thanks to the collaboration of the One Health Initiative team for making this post possible. The original posting can be accessed at www.onehealthinitiative.com

Permission to post was graciously obtained by:Timothy A. Bouley, MD, MSc,The World Bank -
http://www.worldbank.org

tbouley@worldbank.org