Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Volume 49, Issue 3, June 2025, 100239
The authors highlight how the Indigenous view of health has always understood the interconnects among people, animals and the environment, which is the foundation of what is now a western concept called “One Health”. They call for Indigenous understandings of the connection to be embedded into One Health approaches. They propose that future studies utilise local Indigenous seasonal calendars, which are often based on environmental cues, to help understand the seasonal effects of zoonoses.
Sudden cardiac death is more common and coronary heart disease and rheumatic heart disease are the most common causes in First Nations Australians in the Northern Territory of Australia under the age of 40 years. The authors contend that there is a need for First Nation Australians specific local guidelines for a comprehensive pre-participation Heart-Health assessment.
This backstory highlights the importance of interdisciplinary and participatory approaches in advancing the One Health concept, using lessons from an international workshop in Lao PDR to address existing knowledge gaps and improve global health security strategies.
