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Advancing Planetary Health in Australia: focus on emerging infections and antimicrobial resistance
  1. Grant Hill-Cawthorne1,2,
  2. Joel Negin2,
  3. Tony Capon2,
  4. Gwendolyn L Gilbert1,
  5. Lee Nind3,
  6. Michael Nunn4,
  7. Patricia Ridgway5,
  8. Mark Schipp3,
  9. Jenny Firman6,
  10. Tania C Sorrell1,
  11. Ben J Marais1
  1. 1Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity (MBI), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  2. 2School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  3. 3Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
  4. 4Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
  5. 5Research Policy and Translation, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
  6. 6Department of Health, Office of Health Protection, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Professor Ben J Marais; ben.marais{at}health.nsw.gov.au

Abstract

With rising population numbers, anthropogenic changes to our environment and unprecedented global connectivity, the World Economic Forum ranks the spread of infectious diseases second only to water crises in terms of potential global impact. Addressing the diverse challenges to human health and well-being in the 21st century requires an overarching focus on ‘Planetary Health’, with input from all sectors of government, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and industry. To clarify and advance the Planetary Health agenda within Australia, specifically in relation to emerging infectious diseases (EID) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), national experts and key stakeholders were invited to a facilitated workshop. EID themes identified included animal reservoirs, targeted surveillance, mechanisms of emergence and the role of unrecognised human vectors (the ‘invisible man’) in the spread of infection. Themes related to AMR included antimicrobial use in production and companion animals, antimicrobial stewardship, novel treatment approaches and education of professionals, politicians and the general public. Effective infection control strategies are important in both EID and AMR. We provide an overview of key discussion points, as well as important barriers identified and solutions proposed.

  • one health
  • one/eco health
  • planetary health
  • multidisciplinary
  • asia-pacific

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001283

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    Footnotes

    • Handling editor Seye Abimbola

    • Contributors BM and GH-C conceptualised the manuscript and led the workshop. All authors contributed to the workshop and assisted with the development of the content and review of the manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Not required.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.

    • Data availability statement No additional data are available.