Abstract
One Health is a science-based holistic concept that recognises the close link between human, animal and environmental health and has many benefits. For successful implementation, it requires a multi-sectoral, multidisciplinary approach at the local, national and global levels.
It is associated with many challenges, such as overcoming reluctance from individual scientific disciplines, insufficient harmonisation of terminology, priorities and concepts across disciplines and sectors and many uncertainties to be assessed and inputs for activities to be identified. Other challenges include problematic assessment of cost-benefit ratios as there are few comparable measures, imbalances between sectors in capacity, resource and capacity allocation, legal or other structural barriers to cooperation and comprehensive holistic solutions that can be difficult to sell politically and may require creation of new systems and capacities (even with costs).
Despite the many challenges it poses, it is a solution for effective risk management not only for human health, but also for animal health and the environment.