By Zachary Stavrou – Dowd, Research Technician, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

We live on a pale blue dot where all life is connected – from single cells to blue whales. Our actions here impact not only our health but all life. To ensure our continued survival, we need an integrated approach that encompasses the environment, human health and animal health. This is what we call the One Health approach.

The UK Mission to the EU recently hosted a One Health Fair to showcase how UK institutions are pioneering solutions in this holistic approach. The exhibits ranged from environmental sampling for detecting human and animal pathogens to using AI to protect crucial honeybee colonies. The Functional Genetics group at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) joined colleagues from Target Malaria to showcase how functional genetics and gene drive can be used as a One Health solution, in particular through the development of innovative vector-disease control solutions.