Source: School of Public Health
Written by: Yuan Guili
Edited by: Wang Dongmei 

In order to promote One Health development in China, the first 5-day training course of One Health was held in Zhongshan city, Guangdong province, the hometown of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, on 11th January, 2016. This training was organized jointly by Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), University of Queensland (UQ), and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and undertaken by One Health Research Center of School of Public Health, SYSU and Zhongshan Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Zhongshan Research Institute of School of Public Health, SYSU).

Mr. Yao Huarong, deputy-director of Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Professor He Hongxuan from Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Mr. Ou Zixiang, deputy-director of Health and Family Planning Commission of Zhongshan attended the opening ceremony. Mr. Yao and Mr. Ou made an opening address respectively, then Prof. He gave a keynote speech. 
 

Prof. He Hongxuan gave a keynote speech.
 

The training enrolled 48 students from different fields such as colleges, CDC, hospitals, animal health inspection and CIQ, which fully reflected the concept of interdisciplinary and cross-cutting cooperation, advocated by One Health.

In recent years, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are intensified due to global climate change, increasing population movements, and tourist trade development. Source of infection transmission and spread across species, as well as the transformation of nature and other factors make public health, veterinary health, food safety and environmental issues more complex and serious. These issues could not be dealt with by only one discipline or organization. So the concept of One Health comes into being, which requires more communication and collaboration between public health professionals, doctors and veterinarians to achieve the goal of optimal health. 
 

Prof. Maxine Whittaker gave a lecture.


Prof. Simon Reid gave a lecture.
 

The training topic is “One Health: the diseases on human-animal-environment interactive interfaces”. The teachers include Prof. Simon Reid and Prof. Maxine Whittaker from UQ, Prof. Hu Wenbiao from QUT, and Prof. Lu Jiahai from SYSU, who are famous in One Health research field. Courses mainly cover using various computer technologies, like GIS, mapping and spatial regression models, to discuss the spatial characteristic of infectious diseases, assessing biological and social background on zoonosis, and identifying roles, responsibilities and needs of stakeholders. Especially, there is an activity of visiting a wholesale market of poultry. Through the systematic training, participants obtained the knowledge on how to control and dispose infectious diseases, and strengthened practical ability. 
 

Group photo

The training contributed to promoting collaboration and practice on One Health research in China and Asia to cope with challenges nowadays.