COVID-19 through the One Health lens: adding a missing perspective

Abstract

12 The One Health concept offers an integrative approach to disease and health at the human-13 animal-environment interface. It has often been suggested to view the COVID-19 outbreak 14 within this framework to better understand and mitigate this global crisis. Here, we discuss how 15 the evolutionary ecology of host-pathogen systems can add a valuable additional perspective to 16 the debate around SARS-CoV-2 and its implications for public health awareness and policy-17 making. In this context, it is especially important to highlight that changes in nature, such as 18 zoonotic spillover events, are often irreversible, and that humans, while deeply embedded in 19 ecosystems, are intricate ecosystems themselves. A better recognition of the complex biology 20 and evolution of human-parasite interactions will assist our understanding of such zoonoses. 21 22