Kotwal Atul, Yadav Arun
National Health Systems Resource Centre, New Delhi, India.
Department of Community Medicine, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Indian J Med Res. 2021 Mar;153(3):257-263. doi: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_583_21.
There is an increased connectedness among humans, animals, and the environment and the current pandemic has taught the interlinking of the health of humans, animals and the planet. This inter-connectedness and factors like population growth, migration, urbanization, and climate change contribute significantly to the enhanced probability of emergence of previously unknown wildlife source pathogens at any place, any time, and without warning. Lurking in the background is the massive potential for the deliberate use of biological agents as weapons by State or non-State entities. Biological weapons have been used in wars since antiquity, however, newer research and techniques have led to these being real threats with a vast potential of harm to humans, animals, and crops. Over a period, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between deliberate and natural biothreat incidents. The response to both types is alike to safeguard lives, livestock, crops and the environment and reduce the consequent socio-economic ramifications. Biothreat may be targeted towards humans, animals, or crops, or all these concurrently. Every country including India is at risk of biothreat. The concept of one health is thus essential for responding to emerging infectious diseases or biothreats. Comprehensive surveillance for early detection, reporting and early concerted action is needed for prevention and blunting the effect of biothreats, which require close coordination and collaboration among various stakeholders within each country as well as globally.
人类、动物和环境之间的联系日益增强，当前的大流行让人们认识到人类、动物和地球健康之间的相互关联。这种相互联系以及人口增长、移民、城市化和气候变化等因素，极大地增加了此前未知的野生动物源病原体在任何地点、任何时间毫无预警地出现的可能性。隐藏在背后的是国家或非国家实体蓄意将生物制剂用作武器的巨大潜在风险。生物武器自古以来就在战争中被使用，然而，新的研究和技术使它们成为真正的威胁，对人类、动物和农作物具有巨大的潜在危害。一段时间以来，区分蓄意和自然生物威胁事件变得越来越困难。对这两种类型事件的应对措施相似，都是为了保护生命、牲畜、农作物和环境，并减少随之而来的社会经济影响。生物威胁可能针对人类、动物或农作物，或者同时针对所有这些。包括印度在内的每个国家都面临生物威胁风险。因此，“同一健康”概念对于应对新发传染病或生物威胁至关重要。需要进行全面监测以便早期发现、报告并尽早采取协调一致的行动来预防和减轻生物威胁的影响，这需要每个国家内部以及全球各利益相关方之间密切协调与合作。
