One Health - CDC Infographic​​​​​​​​What is the One Health Model?

APHL supports the One Health model, which emph​asizes the interconnections among human, animal and environmental health. Understanding these relationships is critical to mitigating the effects of diseases and other health threats.

Connecting Human + Animal + Environmental Health

Humans and animals interact with each other and their environment in ways that can change disease patterns and exacerbate health threats. For example, as humans develop new land, they make contact with displaced animals and organisms, increasing human exposure to zoonotic diseases. These zoonotic pathogens are the source of 70-75% of the emerging infectious diseases in humans. 

​​Public Health Labs: Crossing Health Domains

Public health laboratories conduct testing that crosses human, animal and environmental health domains. Examples include:

Food Safety

Public health laboratories work to detect and control foodborne illness through the PulseNet program and the Food Emergency Response Network. Teams from human, animal and environmental backgrounds collaborate to solve foodborne outbreaks and prevent future occurrences.

Environmental Health

Environmental health programs at public health laboratories test for chemicals and other contaminants that can affect humans, animals or the environment. Depending on the location, such a program might test well water, cosmetics, spices, algae or farm run-off for potential contamination.

Infectious Diseases

Public health laboratories conduct testing and surveillance for diseases that originate in animals. These include avian influenza (birds and geese), hantavirus (rodents) and arboviral diseases such as West Nile virus, encephalitis, malaria (mosquitos).

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