About One Health Belize
A One Health Approach for the Country of Belize
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 our shared environment.
One Health issues includes zoonosis, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and food security, vector-borne diseases, environmental contamination, and other health related threats shared by people, animals, and the environment. In addition, the fields of chronic disease, mental health, injury, occupational health, and noncommunicable diseases can benefit from using a One Health approach involving collaboration across disciplines and sectors. Successful interventions require the cooperation of professionals in human health (doctors, nurses, epidemiologists etc.), agricultural health [plant and animal health] (veterinarians, microbiologists, agronomists etc.), environmental science (ecologists, wildlife experts etc.), and other areas of expertise.
By promoting increased collaboration, communication and coordination across all sectors, a One Health approach can achieve the best health outcomes for humans, animals and plants in shared ecosystems and various enabling environments.
Human health, animal health, and the ecosystem health are inextricably linked. One Health seeks to promote, improve, and defend the health and well-being of all species by enhancing cooperation and collaboration between physicians, veterinarians, agronomists, environmental scientists, and other relevant professionals by fostering strengths in leadership and management to achieve these goals.
Instrumental Roles of Committees
AntiMicrobial Resistance Committee (AMRC):
Promote the rational use of antimicrobials to improve patient care, while minimizing toxicity and the emergence and dissemination of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The purpose of the antimicrobial stewardship is to improve awareness and understanding of AMR through effective communication, capacity building, and sensitization through surveillance and research with the aim of reducing the incidence of infection.
Zoonosis, Food Safety, and Environmental Heath Committee
Recognizes that the health of humans is closely connected to the health of animals, plants, and our shared environment. Therefore, monitoring of environmental effects, zoonosis (e.g., Rabies, Salmonellosis, West Nile) is of utmost importance to protect human health, animal health, food security within our shared environment.
Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management Committee
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced (anthropogenic) emissions of greenhouse gases and resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. As a result of climatic change, unprecedented impact on Earth’s climate system has caused change on a global scale.
Legislative Committee
The legislative committee to represent the National One Health Platform by providing guidance on legislative matters, detailed review of cabinet papers, oversight of executive activities and legislative changes among other things, will comprise of selected individuals from the Attorney General’s Ministry, Legal Counsel from the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security & Enterprise.
