A review of the One Health concept : increasing awareness and collaboration between the Maltese medical and veterinary professionals

Abstract

The One World, One Health concept was initiated in 2004 by the Wildlife Conservation Society with the aim of establishing an interdisciplinary and crosssectoral approach to preventing epidemic or epizootic diseases and to maintain ecosystem integrity. This concept has gained importance nowadays due to the increase in emerging and re-emerging diseases most of which are zoonotic in nature. Collaboration between the Maltese medical and veterinary professions is necessary to diagnose and control these diseases. A number of points are made questioning the current state of collaboration between these professions, with the aim of increasing the trust and communication between the said professions thus ensuring the best possible defence against diseases which can be a threat to both the human and animal population on the Maltese islands