Animals and humans share disease risks, highlighting the need for joined-up health care

Three out of every four new human infections start in animals. India sits right at the center of this math because the country has a large population, hundreds of millions of farm animals, and the biggest milk production in the world.

History

Emperor Ashoka carved stone edicts in the third century BCE showing that he provided medical care for both people and animals. Long before modern terms existed, early Indian governance treated human, animal, and land health as one shared duty. Rudolf Virchow later coined the word zoonosis and noted that animal and human medicine share a single boundary.

Context

World One Health Day highlights how human, animal, and environmental health are closely linked. Experts use this concept to show that disease prevention must cross traditional boundaries to protect public health effectively.