Saving lives by taking a one health approach

More than half of all infections that people get are spread by animals. Diseases like rabies, Salmonella, and West Nile virus infections are examples of zoonotic diseases (or zoonoses)\u2014diseases that can be shared between animals and people.Every year, tens of thousands of Americans will get sick from diseases spread between animals and people. Animals can sometimes serve as early warning signs of potential illness in people. For example, birds often die of West Nile virus before people get sick with West Nile virus fever.CDC\u2019s One Health Office recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and our shared environment.A One Health approach encourages collaborative efforts of many experts (like disease detectives, laboratorians, physicians, and veterinarians) working across human, animal, and environmental health to improve the health of people and animals, including pets, livestock, and wildlife.cdc.gov/onehealth l cdc.gov/healthypets l OneHealth@cdc.gov l @CDC_NCEZIDCS275215EPublication date from document properties.OneHealth-FactSheet-FINAL.pd