One Health - a strategy for resilience in a changing arctic

Evolution and expansion of the One Health approach to promote sustainable and resilient health and well-being: A call to action

One Health is a transdisciplinary approach used to address complex concerns related to human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health. One Health frameworks and operational tools are available to support countries and communities, particularly for the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance and the protection of food safety. However, One Health has yet to be implemented in a manner that fully considers the complexities and interconnectedness of the diverse influences that have impacts at a larger system level. This lack of consideration can undermine the sustainability of any positive outcomes. To ensure the One Health approach can function effectively within the new global context of converging and escalating health, social, economic, and ecological crises, it must evolve and expand in three overlapping dimensions: (1) Scope: the partners, knowledge, and knowledge systems included, (2) Approach: the techniques, methodologies, and scholarship considered, and (3) Worldview inclusivity: the interweaving of other worldviews together with the mainstream scientific worldview that currently predominates. Diverse partners and knowledge from outside the mainstream health and scientific sectors, including Indigenous peoples and representatives of local communities, and traditionally generated knowledge, must be included. These systems of knowledge can then be braided together with mainstream science to comprise a holistic framework for decision-making. Scholarship and methodologies being applied in other fields and contexts to solve complex challenges and manage uncertainty, such as collaborative governance, social-ecologic systems theory, and complexity science, must be recognized and incorporated. The spectrum of considered worldviews must also expand to authentically integrate the expanded scope and approach into action and sustainable impact. By increasing community and social engagement and by recognizing and entwining different worldviews, the plurality of disciplines, and traditional and scientific ways of knowing to address community concerns in the contexts in which they exist, we can ensure that One Health remains effective and true to its paradigm in our rapidly changing and complex world.

Application of Graphs in a One Health Framework

The One Health framework, which advocates the crucial interconnection between environmental, animal, and human health and well-being, is becoming of increasing importance and acceptance in health sciences over the last years. The hottest public health topics of the latest years, like zoonotic diseases (e.g., the recent pandemic) or the increasing antibiotic resistance, characterized by many as "pandemic of the future," make the more holistic and combinatorial approach of One Health a necessity to combat such complex problems. Multiple graphs and graph theory have found applications in health sciences for many years, and they can now extend to usage across all levels of a One Health approach to health, ranging from genome, one disease level, to epidemiology and ecosystem graphs. For that last ecosystem layer, a proposed approach is the utilization of process graphs from the chemical engineering field, in order to understand a whole system and what constitute the most crucial aspects of a One Health issue in ecosystem level. Here P-graphs are focused alongside their combinatorial algorithms, implemented in R, and their application researched in an effort to extract information and plan interventions.

Strengthening a One Health approach to emerging zoonoses

Given the enormous global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canada, and manifold other zoonotic pathogen activity, there is a pressing need for a deeper understanding of the human-animal-environment interface and the intersecting biological, ecological, and societal factors contributing to the emergence, spread, and impact of zoonotic diseases. We aim to apply a One Health approach to pressing issues related to emerging zoonoses, and propose a functional framework of interconnected but distinct groups of recommendations around strategy and governance, technical leadership (operations), equity, education and research for a One Health approach and Action Plan for Canada. Change is desperately needed, beginning by reorienting our approach to health and recalibrating our perspectives to restore balance with the natural world in a rapid and sustainable fashion. In Canada, a major paradigm shift in how we think about health is required. All of society must recognize the intrinsic value of all living species and the importance of the health of humans, other animals, and ecosystems to health for all.

Wolverines (Gulo gulo) in the Arctic: Revisiting distribution and identifying research and conservation priorities amid rapid environmental change

Wolverines (Gulo gulo) occupy most of the globe’s Arctic tundra. Given the rapidly warming climate and expanding human activity in this biome, understanding wolverine ecology, and therefore the species’ vulnerability to such changes, is increasingly important for developing research priorities and effective management strategies. Here, we review and synthesize knowledge of wolverines in the Arctic using both Western science sources and available Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to improve our understanding of wolverine ecology in the Arctic and better predict the species’ susceptibility to change. To accomplish this, we update the pan-Arctic distribution map of wolverines to account for recent observations and then discuss resulting inference and uncertainties. We use these patterns to contextualize and discuss potential underlying drivers of distribution and population dynamics, drawing upon knowledge of food habits, habitat associations, and harvest, as well as studies of wolverine ecology elsewhere. We then identify four broad areas to prioritize conservation and research efforts: (1) Monitoring trends in population abundance, demographics, and distribution and the drivers thereof, (2) Evaluating and predicting wolverines’ responses to ongoing climate change, particularly the consequences of reduced snow and sea ice, and shifts in prey availability, (3) Understanding wolverines’ response to human development, including the possible impact of wintertime over-snow travel and seismic testing to reproductive denning, as well as vulnerability to hunting and trapping associated with increased human access, and (4) Ensuring that current and future harvest are sustainable.

Is There Always a Negative Causality between Human Health and Environmental Degradation? Current Evidence from Rural China

This study explores the incidence and trend of zoonoses in China and its relationship with environmental health and proposes suggestions for promoting the long-term sustainable development of human, animal, and environmental systems. The incidence of malaria was selected as the dependent variable, and the consumption of agricultural diesel oil and pesticides and investment in lavatory sanitation improvement in rural areas were selected as independent variables according to the characteristics of nonpoint source pollution and domestic pollution in China's rural areas. By employing a fixed effects regression model, the results indicated that the use of pesticides was negatively associated with the incidence of malaria, continuous investment in rural toilet improvement, and an increase in economic income can play a positive role in the prevention and control of malaria incidence. Guided by the theory of One Health, this study verifies human, animal, and environmental health as a combination of mutual restriction and influence, discusses the complex causal relationship among the three, and provides evidence for sustainable development and integrated governance.

Understanding Community Perceptions of the St. Kitts’ “Monkey Problem” by Adapting Harm Reduction Concepts and Methods

Wicked problems in One Health are associated with dynamicity and uncertainty that require experts, authorities and community members to reach for innovative means of collective inquiry, and collaborative interventions to address the deep social issues at the root of interspecies problems. In this study we explore the value of harm reduction concepts to understand a hundreds of year old issue, the St. Kitts’ “monkey problem,” which involves the invasive African green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) as the cause of deleterious effects on agriculture, but concurrent positive effects on tourism and biomedical research. The harm reduction approach, a systems and settings-based approach with decades of success in public health, can serve as a framework to produce action on persistent societal problems. Harm reduction concepts and methods and participatory epidemiology were used to uncover local perceptions about human-monkey interactions and “meet people where they are” by asking the research question: Are there commonalities in perceptions and values linked to the St. Kitts’ “monkey problem” that are shared across diverse representatives of society that can act as a common starting place to launch collaborative responses to this invasive species? Through a series of focus group activities and interviews we found that the Kittitian “monkey problem” is a contentious and dichotomous problem pervasive in most of society that has no single stakeholders nor one solution. Harm reduction helped to map the island’s human-monkey system and elucidated an entry point toward tackling this problem through the identification of shared values, and also provided a model for incremental gains that may be achieved. Likening the St. Kitts “monkey problem” to a wicked problem enabled stakeholders to seek more options to manage the problem rather than to conclusively solve it. Frequently mentioned shared values including the protection of farmer crops and backyard harvests likely represent strong entry points to this problem and a jumping-off point to begin collective action toward future improvements.

Role of social, cultural and symbolic capital for youth and community wellbeing in a rural Alaska Native community

Health promotion programs by and for Indigenous Peoples increasingly use strength-based Indigenous approaches aimed at reinforcing protective factors rooted in their cultures and traditions. These protective factors can counteract the deleterious effects induced by the rapid social changes related to colonization. Western social scientists defined cultural, social and symbolic capital as assets akin to social strengths that can promote health. It is important to understand Indigenous perspectives on these social and cultural capitals, and the ways their interplay can promote wellness. Using the qualitative methods photovoice and digital storytelling, we elicited the perspectives of Athabascan middle and high school students participating in the Frank Attla Youth and Sled Dog Care-Mushing Program in their home community of Huslia in Interior Alaska. Subsequently, we disseminated the stories and preliminary findings in Huslia, and conducted focus groups with adults to triangulate with the youth perspectives. Deductive and inductive thematic content analysis of youth stories and photos revealed the impacts of the program on them and their community. Youth reported gains in cultural, social and symbolic capital and shared what these forms of capital mean in their cultural context. Cultural capital gains were mostly in its embodied form, e.g. in work ethics, perseverance and the value of cultural traditions; social capital gains revolved around relations with peers, adults and Elders, nature and animals, as well as social cohesion and sense of belonging in Huslia; Symbolic capital was reflected through pride and spirituality. The students' stories also illustrated their perspectives on how the program affected their wellbeing, through physical activity, healing relations with dogs, increased self-esteem and visions of a bright future. Adults corroborated youth perspectives and shared their observations of program impacts on discipline, academic and life skills and resilience. These findings could be used to guide development and assessment of culturally-based wellbeing promoting interventions.

Self-Rated Health, Life Balance and Feeling of Empowerment When Facing Impacts of Permafrost Thaw—A Case Study from Northern Canada

Climate warming in Arctic Canada, e.g., permafrost thaw, comprehensively impacts biota and the environment, which then affects the lives of people. This study aimed to investigate which perceived environmental and adaptation factors relate to self-rated well-being, quality of life, satisfaction with life (sum variable = life balance), self-rated health, and feeling of empowerment to face the changes related to permafrost thaw. The study sample was collected from one community using a questionnaire (n = 53) and analyzed by cross-tabulation. Results indicated that most participants had at least good well-being, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and a medium level of health, and over 40% assessed being empowered to face the changes related to permafrost thaw. Problems and challenges associated with permafrost thaw, e.g., health, traditional lifeways, and infrastructure, were recognized; these had impacts on life balance, feeling of empowerment, and self-rated health. Traditional knowledge regarding adaptation to face changes was seen as important. More adaptation actions from the individual to global level seemed to be needed. This study provides an overview of the situation in one area, but more research, with a larger study sample, should be conducted to achieve a deeper understanding of climate-related impacts on life and holistic well-being.

Incidence of socially significant infectious diseases (HIV, TB and HIV/TB coinfection) in the Arctic regions of Russia)

The study is aimed to evaluate the HIV, TB, and HIV/TB coinfection incidence per 100,000 population/year in Russian Arctic, based on official statistical data. The epidemics' incidence in Russian Arctic is uneven. The highest HIV incidence in 2019 was registered in Krasnoyarsk region (94,6), and the highest TB incidence in ChAD (136,1). ChAD was also identified as the region with the worst indicators, where the HIV incidence in 2007-2019 was evaluated at (315,8%), TB (136,1%), HIV/TB coinfection (150,0%). Despite the significant reduction in TB incidence in Arkhangelsk oblast (-63,9%), Karelia (-57,3%) and Komi (-56,2%) republics, it is alarming to observe dramatic increases in HIV incidence in the aforementioned regions (592,3%, 331,8%, 156,5% respectively). External factors influence HIV and TB incidence in most regions. Prevailing in men, HIV and TB incidence disparities between the general population and permanent residents occurred in all regions, except in ChAD and NAD, where the infections were diagnosed only among permanent residents. It is necessary to provide more detailed studies focusing on HIV, TB, and HIV/TB coinfection features in each circumpolar district in order to determine the main risk factors, especially among indigenous peoples as a vulnerable group, and to evaluate the HIV/TB collaborative services' capacity.

Experiences of cancer rehabilitation among patients in rural areas in northern Iceland: physical and psychosocial well-being, coping, quality of life, and satisfaction with care. A qualitative study

Physical rehabilitation and psychosocial support are a part of cancer patients well-being and their ability to cope. Physical geography and healthcare provider barriers may have negative influences on patients' health outcomes. To explore the perceptions and experiences of cancer rehabilitation in a rural area in northern Iceland. A further aim was to explore patients' physical and psychosocial well-being, coping and satisfaction with care. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was completed with a purposive sample of 21 patients at a tertiary hospital in northern Iceland. Three main themes emerged: 1) Rehabilitation - the need for improved access support and continuity; 2) Coping and quality of life - balancing life as it was before cancer against the present situation in order to achieve normality; 3) Satisfaction - encountering caring behaviours enhances satisfaction and well-being. Specifically targeted rehabilitation programmes need to be included in the treatment options for cancer patients. Survival instinct, coping mechanisms and a strong urge to maintain general functionality are of paramount importance intertwined with patients' ability to cope with the disease and treatment, and their satisfaction with care.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: Are There Any Impacts on Sustainability?

This paper sets out to explain and describe the potential ways to control COVID-19′s impact on the environment and what controllable strategies and anticipations emerge from rethinking sustainable production. The rapid and devastating spread of this disease has made millions of people throughout the world cover themselves, wear gloves, and use hand sanitizers and other medical applications. However, it means that a huge amount of clinical waste is being dumped into landfills or the oceans, and such activity may simply worsen the infection’s transmission and the sustainability of the environment, the socio-economy, and sustainable productions. This disease has greatly changed the way people live and has caused considerable occupational job losses and misfortunes, sending sustainable businesses and other organizations to the wall. Virtually every country is trying to stop the infection transmission by testing patients and isolating people, but the environmental effects of the pandemic and sustainable business have not previously been analyzed. The study suggests that the current options for sustainable production must be measured and also further researched.

Long-term increases in pathogen seroprevalence in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) influenced by climate change

The influence of climate change on wildlife disease dynamics is a burgeoning conservation and human health issue, but few long-term studies empirically link climate to pathogen prevalence. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are vulnerable to the negative impacts of sea ice loss as a result of accelerated Arctic warming. While studies have associated changes in polar bear body condition, reproductive output, survival, and abundance to reductions in sea ice, no long-term studies have documented the impact of climate change on pathogen exposure. We examined 425 serum samples from 381 adult polar bears, collected in western Hudson Bay (WH), Canada, for antibodies to selected pathogens across three time periods: 1986-1989 (n = 157), 1995-1998 (n = 159) and 2015-2017 (n = 109). We ran serological assays for antibodies to seven pathogens: Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Trichinella spp., Francisella tularensis, Bordetella bronchiseptica, canine morbillivirus (CDV) and canine parvovirus (CPV). Seroprevalence of zoonotic parasites (T. gondii, Trichinella spp.) and bacterial pathogens (F. tularensis, B. bronchiseptica) increased significantly between 1986-1989 and 1995-1998, ranging from +6.2% to +20.8%, with T. gondii continuing to increase into 2015-2017 (+25.8% overall). Seroprevalence of viral pathogens (CDV, CPV) and N. caninum did not change with time. Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence was higher following wetter summers, while seroprevalences of Trichinella spp. and B. bronchiseptica were positively correlated with hotter summers. Seroprevalence of antibodies to F. tularensis increased following years polar bears spent more days on land, and polar bears previously captured in human settlements were more likely to be seropositive for Trichinella spp. As the Arctic has warmed due to climate change, zoonotic pathogen exposure in WH polar bears has increased, driven by numerous altered ecosystem pathways.

The impact of climate change on neglected tropical diseases: a systematic review

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of diseases that continue to affect >1 billion people, with these diseases disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations and territories. Climate change is having an increasing impact on public health in tropical and subtropical areas and across the world and can affect disease distribution and transmission in potentially diverse ways. Improving our understanding of how climate change influences NTDs can help identify populations at risk to include in future public health interventions. Articles were identified by searching electronic databases for reports of climate change and NTDs between 1 January 2010 and 1 March 2020. Climate change may influence the emergence and re-emergence of multiple NTDs, particularly those that involve a vector or intermediate host for transmission. Although specific predictions are conflicting depending on the geographic area, the type of NTD and associated vectors and hosts, it is anticipated that multiple NTDs will have changes in their transmission period and geographic range and will likely encroach on regions and populations that have been previously unaffected. There is a need for improved surveillance and monitoring to identify areas of NTD incursion and emergence and include these in future public health interventions.

Systemic factors for enhancing intersectoral collaboration for the operationalization of One Health: a case study in India

Background

One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. Operationalization of the One Health approach is still unclear for various local health systems with their respective targets. In this scenario, the empirical study of intersectoral collaboration between the human and animal health systems provides an opportunity to investigate the appropriate strategies and their enabling factors at the local health system level. Thus, this study documented and validated the innovative strategy for intersectoral collaboration, focusing on effectual prevention and control of zoonotic diseases with its enabling factors for a city in western India, Ahmedabad.

Methods

This case study was conducted in three phases: phase I (qualitative data collection, i.e., vignette interview), phase II (quantitative data collection through modified policy Delphi), and phase III (participatory workshop). The vignette data were handled for content analysis, and the Delphi data, like other quantitative data, for descriptive statistics. The participatory workshop adapts the computerized Sensitivity Model^® developed by Vester to analyse the health system dynamics.

Result

Out of the possible 36 strategies, this study validated the top 15 essential (must-have) and five preferred (should-have) strategies for the study area. For operationalization of the One Health approach, the enabling factors that were identified through the systems approach are micro-level factors at the individual level (trust, leadership, motivation, knowledge), meso-level factors at the organizational level (human resource, capacity-building, shared vision, decision-making capacity, laboratory capacity, surveillance), macro-level factors at the system level (coordinated roles, relationships, common platform), and external factors outside of the system (guidelines/policies, community participation, a specific budget, political will, smart technology).

Discussion

This study reveals that the micro-level factors at the individual level are potential levers of the health system. More attention to these factors could be beneficial for the operationalization of the One Health approach. This study recommends a systems approach through a bottom-up exploration to understand the local health system and its enabling factors, which should be accounted for in formulating future One Health policies.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12961-021-00727-9.

One Health information management: health system reforms to support social well-being in Thailand

Background and Aim: The information about the health problems interaction between animal health, ecosystems, and human health that the "One Health (OH)" concept is becoming more complex. This study focused on OH information in Thailand to develop guidelines for establishing a "One Health Information Management (OHIM)" system by drafting the structure of an OH information strategic plan. Materials and Methods: A mixed methods approach was used and included questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and observations in agencies across the country to gather evidence about actions relating to the OH concept, such as the Memorandum of Agreements between the Ministry of Public Health and eight main agencies. Results: The study concentrated on the key issue that understanding the OH concept is difficult, as the environment and human health sectors include less knowledge of this concept than the animal health sector. Further, there are concerns about the comprehension of OH concepts, and high-level information management and data storage relating to OH, including medicine, cattle, wild animal, environment, and environmental resource management. Data from OH researchers and publicly accessible government data are less integrated and inconsistently managed across agencies. Conclusion: The study of OHIM strategic development should consist of four important points: (1) Clarity in the OH concept, (2) OH staff development, (3) development of an OHIM data network and innovation, and (4) research and academic development, and global OHIM academic exchange. All of these points will lead to health system reforms to support social well-being.

Examining the concept of One Health for indigenous communities: A systematic review

Purpose

This paper examines whether the usage of the concept of One Health in Canada-based research aligns with traditional Indigenous notions of health and wellness.

Methods

A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted using primary databases, including Scholars Portal, ProQuest Social Science, Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest), OVID Healthstar, Embase, Medline, Pubmed and Google Scholar. Papers discussing One Health and Indigenous Health were selected and analyzed through Nvivo12 to generate common themes across the studies.

Results

The analysis identified three major themes that focused on One Health as it relates to climate change, zoonosis, and social relationships between humans and animals. Climate change was seen to have affected the environmental health of Northern latitude areas where many Indigenous communities reside. Infectious diseases within Indigenous communities were a frequent topic of study and indicated that infections transmitted by dogs are likely to be addressed with One Health interventions. One Health interventions are likely to equally address the health of humans, animals, and the environment.

Conclusions

No significant connection between One Health and Indigenous knowledges was established in the analyzed articles. Articles discussed One Health as it pertains to epidemiological surveillance and research. The implications of utilizing One Health towards Indigenous Peoples and culture were not explicitly addressed.

Living conditions and mental wellness in a changing climate and environment: focus on community voices and perceived environmental and adaptation factors in Greenland

BACKGROUND

Climate change is a major global challenge, especially for Indigenous communities. It can have extensive impacts on peoples' lives that may occur through the living environment, health and mental well-being, and which are requiring constant adaptation.

OBJECTIVES

The overall purpose of this research was to evaluate the impacts of climate change and permafrost thaw on mental wellness in Disko Bay, Greenland. It contained two parts: multidisciplinary fieldwork and a questionnaire survey. The aim of the fieldwork was to learn about life and living conditions and to understand what it is like to live in a community that faces impacts of climate change and permafrost thaw. For the questionnaire the aim was to find out which perceived environmental and adaptation factors relate to very good self-rated well-being, quality of life and satisfaction with life.

ANALYSIS

Fieldwork data was analyzed by following a thematic analysis, and questionnaire data statistically by cross-tabulation. First, the associations between perceived environmental and adaptation factors were studied either by the Pearson χ2 test or by Fisher's exact test. Second, binary logistic regression analysis was applied to examine more in depth the associations between perceived environmental/adaptation variables and self-rated very good well-being, satisfaction with life and quality of life. The binary logistic regression analysis was conducted in two phases: as univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Nature and different activities in nature were found to be important to local people, and results suggest that they increase mental wellness, specifically well-being and satisfaction with life. Challenges associated with permafrost thaw, such as changes in the physical environment, infrastructure and impacts on culture were recognized in everyday life.

CONCLUSIONS

The results offer relevant information for further plans and actions in this field of research and at the policy level. Our study shows the importance of multidisciplinary research which includes the voice of local communities.

Impact of COVID-19 on the social, economic, environmental and energy domains: Lessons learnt from a global pandemic

COVID-19 has heightened human suffering, undermined the economy, turned the lives of billions of people around the globe upside down, and significantly affected the health, economic, environmental and social domains. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the ecological domain, the energy sector, society and the economy and investigate the global preventive measures taken to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. This analysis unpacks the key responses to COVID-19, the efficacy of current initiatives, and summarises the lessons learnt as an update on the information available to authorities, business and industry. This review found that a 72-hour delay in the collection and disposal of waste from infected households and quarantine facilities is crucial to controlling the spread of the virus. Broad sector by sector plans for socio-economic growth as well as a robust entrepreneurship-friendly economy is needed for the business to be sustainable at the peak of the pandemic. The socio-economic crisis has reshaped investment in energy and affected the energy sector significantly with most investment activity facing disruption due to mobility restrictions. Delays in energy projects are expected to create uncertainty in the years ahead. This report will benefit governments, leaders, energy firms and customers in addressing a pandemic-like situation in the future.

COVID-19 pandemic-Environmental perspective of COVID-19 and a primer for all of us

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) spread worldwide has created a global pandemic. To reduce the transmission of the virus, the Indian government had imposed a countrywide lockdown on 24 Mar 2020 by suspending all public transport and industries temporarily resulting in loss of jobs in multiple sectors and looming threats to the nation economy. Lockdown on the opposite hand has removed pollutants from the air and thus improved air quality in many cities across the globe. The near-total shutdown of all economic activities except related to essential commodities like medicine and food was only allowed which resulted in the lowering of carbon emission and improvement in global warming and air pollution. This review article indented to bring important features of how the COVID-19 pandemic affects human civilization and the global environment. However, its epidemiology, symptom, possible prevention, and management will briefly describe. Authors have collected data from, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, WHO, and CDC (USA). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a result of COVID- 19 infection. This virus is transmitted through close contact by respiratory droplets from one person to another. The majority of symptoms of COVID-19 are very much similar to any viral upper respiratory tract infection ( Common Coryza). Any person with the slightest suspicion or has respiratory symptoms related to COVID-19 infection should wear a facemask, keep safe social distancing, observe cough/sneeze etiquettes. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us a lesson to introspect the way humans are destroying the environment for their benefit. Whatever be the origin or cause, the occurrence of COVID-19 has made a foreground for us to improve the symbiotic relationship between humans, wildlife, and nature.

COVID-19 outbreak: Migration, effects on society, global environment and prevention

The COVID-19 pandemic is considered as the most crucial global health calamity of the century and the greatest challenge that the humankind faced since the 2nd World War. In December 2019, a new infectious respiratory disease emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, China and was named by the World Health Organization as COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). A new class of corona virus, known as SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) has been found to be responsible for occurrence of this disease. As far as the history of human civilization is concerned there are instances of severe outbreaks of diseases caused by a number of viruses. According to the report of the World Health Organization (WHO as of April 18 2020), the current outbreak of COVID-19, has affected over 2164111 people and killed more than 146,198 people in more than 200 countries throughout the world. Till now there is no report of any clinically approved antiviral drugs or vaccines that are effective against COVID-19. It has rapidly spread around the world, posing enormous health, economic, environmental and social challenges to the entire human population. The coronavirus outbreak is severely disrupting the global economy. Almost all the nations are struggling to slow down the transmission of the disease by testing & treating patients, quarantining suspected persons through contact tracing, restricting large gatherings, maintaining complete or partial lock down etc. This paper describes the impact of COVID-19 on society and global environment, and the possible ways in which the disease can be controlled has also been discussed therein.

Muskox status, recent variation, and uncertain future

Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are an integral component of Arctic biodiversity. Given low genetic diversity, their ability to respond to future and rapid Arctic change is unknown, although paleontological history demonstrates adaptability within limits. We discuss status and limitations of current monitoring, and summarize circumpolar status and recent variations, delineating all 55 endemic or translocated populations. Acknowledging uncertainties, global abundance is ca 170 000 muskoxen. Not all populations are thriving. Six populations are in decline, and as recently as the turn of the century, one of these was the largest population in the world, equaling ca 41% of today's total abundance. Climate, diseases, and anthropogenic changes are likely the principal drivers of muskox population change and result in multiple stressors that vary temporally and spatially. Impacts to muskoxen are precipitated by habitat loss/degradation, altered vegetation and species associations, pollution, and harvest. Which elements are relevant for a specific population will vary, as will their cumulative interactions. Our summaries highlight the importance of harmonizing existing data, intensifying long-term monitoring efforts including demographics and health assessments, standardizing and implementing monitoring protocols, and increasing stakeholder engagement/contributions.

Identifying barriers to healthcare delivery and access in the Circumpolar North: important insights for health professionals

Lack of access to healthcare services for people living in the Circumpolar North may have important consequences for their health and well-being, both in terms of the actual treatment and other possible health-related consequences intertwined with their life situation. The aim of the present study was to identify the specific challenges to healthcare service delivery and access for populations in the Circumpolar North that are addressed in contemporary literature. A scoping review of literature published between 2005 and 2016 was conducted and 43 articles were selected for inclusion into the review. The review findings address 4 main themes identified in the literature: (1) the influence of physical geography, (2) healthcare provider-related barriers, (3) the importance of culture and language and (4) the impact of systemic factors. The review of the literature enabled us to identify existing gaps in both health service access and issues discussed in the available literature, particularly for informing healthcare services in the Circumpolar North, as well as point towards opportunities for future research. The thematic findings drawn from interdisciplinary and international literature inform understandings of the impact of health system barriers on healthcare services and the opportunities for Northern residents to support their own health.

Global impacts of pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic: Focus on socio-economic consequences

On March 11, 2020, the novel Corona virus disease (COVID-19), was described as a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO). Globally, the COVID-19 has not only affected the public health socially but also has rigorously affected economically. Substantial declines in income, increase in unemployment, and distractions in the transportation, amenities, and industrial sectors are amongst the major concerns of the pandemic disease extenuation. Furthermore, the governments of most of the countries underestimated the menaces of COVID-19 spread and were typically responsive for the calamities in their respective countries. As outbreak of this pandemic is not likely to wane in the nearby future, preventive actions are prerequisite to prevent infection spread, save people lives and also to save the economic affluence. In this review, based on the present knowledge and available literature, we have demonstrated the various aspects of pre-and post-COVID-19 effects over the social and economic phases worldwide. Moreover, the evidence based data have been summarized regarding threats, social influences, scientific upgrades, moral dynamics, stress and adapting in the pre- and post- COVID-19 situations.

One health in the circumpolar North

The North faces significant health disparities, especially among its many Indigenous peoples. In this article we discuss historical, environmental, and cultural variables that contribute to these disparities and propose a One Health approach to address them in a holistic and culturally appropriate manner. The One Health paradigm recognizes the interdependence among the health and well-being of people, animals and the environment. As such, the framework aligns well with many Indigenous world views. This proactive, interdisciplinary, constructivist, and collaborative approach promise earlier detection of risks and threats, as well as more effective responses, in part by engaging community level stakeholders in all stages of the process. In the far North, humans, especially Indigenous peoples, continue to live closely connected to their environment, in settings that exert significant impacts on health. In recent decades, rapid warming and elevated contaminant levels have heightened environmental risks and increased uncertainty, both of which threaten individual and community health and well-being. Under these circumstances especially, One Health's comprehensive approach may provide mitigating and adaptive strategies to enhance resilience. While many of the examples used in this manuscript focus on Alaska and Canada, the authors believe similar conditions exist among the indigenous and rural residents across the entire Circumpolar North.

EcoHealth and One Health: A theory-focused review in response to calls for convergence

BACKGROUND

EcoHealth and One Health are two major approaches broadly aimed at understanding the links between human, animal, and environment health. There have been increasing calls for convergence between the two. If convergence is desired, greater clarity regarding the underlying theoretical assumptions of both approaches is required. This would also support integrated research to effectively address complex health issues at the human, animal and environment interface. To better understand the areas of overlap and alignment, we systematically compared and contrasted the theoretical assumptions of both approaches.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to gain a more in-depth understanding of the ontological, epistemological and methodological underpinnings of EcoHealth and One Health in order to identify areas of difference and overlap, and consider the extent to which closer convergence between the two may be possible.

METHODS

We undertook a scoping review of literature about the ontological, epistemological and methodological positions of EcoHealth and One Health, and analyzed these according to Lincoln, Lynham and Guba's paradigm framework.

RESULTS

EcoHealth and One Health are both collaborative, systems-focused approaches at the human, animal, and ecosystem health interface. EcoHealth typically leans towards constructivist-leaning assumptions. Many consider this a necessary aspiration for One Health. However, in practice One Health remains dominated by the veterinary and medical disciplines that emphasize positivist-leaning assumptions.

DISCUSSION

The aspirations of EcoHealth and One Health appear to overlap at the conceptual level, and may well warrant closer convergence. However, further shared discussions about their epistemological and ontological assumptions are needed to reconcile important theoretical differences, and to better guide scopes of practice. Critical realism may be a crucial theoretical meeting point. Systems thinking methods (with critical realist underpinnings), such as system dynamics modelling, are potentially useful methodologies for supporting convergent practice.

Climate change and One Health

The journal The Lancet recently published a countdown on health and climate change. Attention was focused solely on humans. However, animals, including wildlife, livestock and pets, may also be impacted by climate change. Complementary to the high relevance of awareness rising for protecting humans against climate change, here we present a One Health approach, which aims at the simultaneous protection of humans, animals and the environment from climate change impacts (climate change adaptation). We postulate that integrated approaches save human and animal lives and reduce costs when compared to public and animal health sectors working separately. A One Health approach to climate change adaptation may significantly contribute to food security with emphasis on animal source foods, extensive livestock systems, particularly ruminant livestock, environmental sanitation, and steps towards regional and global integrated syndromic surveillance and response systems. The cost of outbreaks of emerging vector-borne zoonotic pathogens may be much lower if they are detected early in the vector or in livestock rather than later in humans. Therefore, integrated community-based surveillance of zoonoses is a promising avenue to reduce health effects of climate change.

Environmental observation, social media, and One Health action: A description of the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network

As a result of the close relationships between Arctic residents and the environment, climate change has a disproportionate impact on Arctic communities. Despite the need for One Health responses to climate change, environmental monitoring is difficult to conduct in Arctic regions. The Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network is a global social media network that recruits citizen scientists to collect environmental observations on social media. We examined the processes of the LEO Network, numbers of members and observations, and three case studies that depict One Health action enabled by the system. From February 2012 to July 2017, the LEO Network gained 1870 members in 35 countries. In this time period, 670 environmental observations were posted. Examples that resulted in One Health action include those involving food sources, wild fire smoke, and thawing permafrost. The LEO network is an example of a One Health resource that stimulates action to protect the health of communities around the world.

Human infectious diseases and the changing climate in the Arctic

Climatic factors, especially temperature, precipitation, and humidity play an important role in disease transmission. As the Arctic changes at an unprecedented rate due to climate change, understanding how climatic factors and climate change affect infectious disease rates is important for minimizing human and economic costs. The purpose of this systematic review was to compile recent studies in the field and compare the results to a previously published review. English language searches were conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PLOS One. Russian language searches were conducted in the Scientific Electronic Library "eLibrary.ru". This systematic review yielded 22 articles (51%) published in English and 21 articles (49%) published in Russian since 2012. Articles about zoonotic and vector-borne diseases accounted for 67% (n = 29) of the review. Tick-borne diseases, tularemia, anthrax, and vibriosis were the most researched diseases likely to be impacted by climatic factors in the Arctic. Increased temperature and precipitation are predicted to have the greatest impact on infectious diseases in the Arctic.

The One Health Concept: 10 Years Old and a Long Road Ahead

Over the past decade, a significant increase in the circulation of infectious agents was observed. With the spread and emergence of epizootics, zoonoses, and epidemics, the risks of pandemics became more and more critical. Human and animal health has also been threatened by antimicrobial resistance, environmental pollution, and the development of multifactorial and chronic diseases. This highlighted the increasing globalization of health risks and the importance of the human-animal-ecosystem interface in the evolution and emergence of pathogens. A better knowledge of causes and consequences of certain human activities, lifestyles, and behaviors in ecosystems is crucial for a rigorous interpretation of disease dynamics and to drive public policies. As a global good, health security must be understood on a global scale and from a global and crosscutting perspective, integrating human health, animal health, plant health, ecosystems health, and biodiversity. In this study, we discuss how crucial it is to consider ecological, evolutionary, and environmental sciences in understanding the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases and in facing the challenges of antimicrobial resistance. We also discuss the application of the "One Health" concept to non-communicable chronic diseases linked to exposure to multiple stresses, including toxic stress, and new lifestyles. Finally, we draw up a list of barriers that need removing and the ambitions that we must nurture for the effective application of the "One Health" concept. We conclude that the success of this One Health concept now requires breaking down the interdisciplinary barriers that still separate human and veterinary medicine from ecological, evolutionary, and environmental sciences. The development of integrative approaches should be promoted by linking the study of factors underlying stress responses to their consequences on ecosystem functioning and evolution. This knowledge is required for the development of novel control strategies inspired by environmental mechanisms leading to desired equilibrium and dynamics in healthy ecosystems and must provide in the near future a framework for more integrated operational initiatives.

Introduction to Environmental Chemistry of the Arctic: An Introductory, Lab-Based Course Offered Both Face-to-Face and by Distance

In this chapter, we present a model for an entry-level lab-based undergraduate environmental chemistry course delivered simultaneously by face-to-face and distance modalities. This course frames conceptual chemistry using the theme of Alaskan Arctic environmental issues in order to increase engagement and perceived relevance of chemical principles. Synchronously delivered lectures and guided discussions along with the incorporation of peer-mentored research projects encourage the development of a learning community among students in the course. Distance students participate in the same virtual and "kitchen" lab experiments as on-campus students, thus providing an educationally equivalent curriculum to all. In mixed teams of on-campus and distance students, all students participate in research projects to allow entry-level students to explore their interests in STEM fields. Students thereby begin to build an identity as a scientist and hopefully this course will serve as a mechanism to improve recruitment and retention of students, especially from traditionally underrepresented groups, in the chemical sciences and other STEM fields of study. Responses from the first course offering communicated positive attitudes toward the course content and methods.

Outbreaks in the age of syndemics: New insights for improving Indigenous health

Conventional approaches for the prevention and control of communicable diseases within Indigenous contexts may benefit from new insights arising from the growing interest in syndemics. Syndemics is a term used to describe a conceptual framework for understanding diseases or health conditions, and how these are exacerbated by the social, economic, environmental and political milieu in which a population is immersed. The use of conventional approaches for outbreak prevention and control remains the bedrock of intervention in the field of communicable diseases; yet on their own, these strategies are not always successful, especially within contexts of marginalization and disadvantage. A broader approach is needed; one that examines the systemic factors involved, understands how various policies and systems support or hinder effective responses and identifies the structural changes needed to create more supportive environments and increase the resilience of the population. In an Indigenous context, whether the focus is on hepatitis C, tuberculosis, HIV or water-borne diseases, it is important to recognize that a) social determinants contribute to the emergence and persistence of outbreaks, b) conventional approaches to communicable disease control are necessary but not sufficient, and c) using a "syndemics lens" can leverage action at multiple levels to tackle the root causes of poor health and inform more effective strategies for improving Indigenous health and reducing health inequities.