Walu-win mayiny balugan mawang (well people and animals all together): Implications for One Health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Abstract

One Health - the relationships between animals, humans and environmental health - is gaining momentum internationally as an effective approach for understanding and combating current and future global health risks. Multiple zoonotic outbreaks worldwide have demonstrated the importance of these relationships, and thereby revealed that the health of people, animals and our shared environment is interdependent and closely connected. One Health is especially relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia, in which animals and people live closely together; however, many people cannot access animal health care, and they experience a high risk of environmental health exposures, which lead to a higher risk of disease. One Health is also aligned with community and cultural values that recognise the integral relationships between people, animals and the environment. Although it is highly relevant, One Health within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is poorly understood; limited evidence exists of One Health approaches even being implemented.

This research thus explores the implications for One Health in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia. It was undertaken by an Australian Aboriginal-led multidisciplinary research team, and it adopted Indigenous research methodologies and One Health approaches. Further, it recognised the cultural knowledge that underpins the interconnection between animal, human and environmental health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies. The research aimed to explore and understand the evidence base pertaining to One Health and Indigenous populations worldwide; to investigate the epidemiology of zoonoses among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations; and to generate and test a One Health data collection and analysis framework, the findings of which can inform the development of a community One Health model.

This thesis includes four peer-reviewed publications. The first comprises a critical literature review of evidence pertaining to One Health and Indigenous communities, and it identifies several key gaps in the evidence. The second publication comprises a scoping review of zoonoses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, the findings of which highlighted a limited evidence base and other key gaps in the Australian context. The third publication was a data analysis of zoonotic notifications in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, and the consequent findings informed recommendations for how zoonoses should be managed. The fourth publication comprises a pilot study that designed and implemented a One Health data collection and analysis framework to explore animal, human and environmental health factors in relation to health risks within the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

All findings were used to inform new knowledge about One Health in communities - and this new knowledge considers the various implications for One Health, such as cultural and community aspects, structural needs and overarching principles. The findings from this research will be further reinforced by future research that aims to improve our understanding of One Health in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, as well as improve health and wellbeing outcomes for communities, families and their animals. Show more