Durban, South Africa — As the world deals with the combined issues of climate change and global health challenges, the value of the One Health approach has become more evident.
Doris Wangari, a Senior Program Officer at the Science for Africa Foundation‘s Grand Challenges Africa Programme, said that the conversation around the climate crisis and One Health is one we must continue to have, because when climate change takes place, its impact is seen within human interactions and the impact that it has on our health. For Wangari, ensuring that research on climate change “has a human face integrated into it” is critical for Africa’s preparedness and resilience.
The climate crisis is disrupting the fragile balance that keeps plants and everything that depends on them healthy. With rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and more frequent extreme weather, pests and diseases are spreading like never before. The effects go beyond just crops. In a world where human, animal, plant, and environmental health are all linked, safeguarding plant health is more important than ever.
As the climate changes, the risks to plant health also change.
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Wangari explained that outbreaks do not occur by themselves; climate is the stage within which pathogens perform and thrive. As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, pathogens like mosquitoes find new environments to breed, leading to increased cases of vector-borne diseases,” she said.
The risks are not far off.
As an example, she said, take mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases.
“Once the temperature increases and there’s heavy rainfall, we see mosquitoes breeding and emerging in new places and seasons where they were previously the mosquito pathogen was not previously found,” she said.
Wangari said that heavy rainfall and flooding also contaminate water systems, often leading to cholera outbreaks. With drought, we are now seeing more human-animal contact, since animals move away to seek water sources, increasing the risk of zoonotic spillover.
To address these climate-driven disease threats, Wangari said that it is important to integrate environmental and health surveillance systems. “We’re now keen on combining weather and environmental data with health surveillance systems so we can get early warnings, communicate with communities, and strengthen primary healthcare systems,” she said.
She said that forecasting tools allow countries to pre-position vaccines, diagnostics, and supplies before outbreaks occur. For this to work, data sharing across borders and sectors is critical, since “diseases are not bound to any one country.”
One Health should not only be a slogan
The One Health approach is based on the idea that the health of people, animals, and ecosystems is interconnected. It provides a better path forward. In a time of climate change, increasing risk of zoonotic diseases, and ongoing conflict, incorporating One Health into humanitarian efforts is no longer a distant goal. It is both a moral and a practical need. People, animals, and the environment are the three key elements of the One Health approach.
The One Health approach, Wangari explained, can help Africa move from reacting to predicting outbreaks by combining disease surveillance and climate modeling. “If we can forecast a cyclone, surely we should be able to forecast an outbreak spike,” she said. “That gives us time to vaccinate, prepare, and ensure that the surge doesn’t explode.”
In the face of increasing global health issues, especially those resulting from the complex relationships between humans, animals, and the environment, information and communication technology (ICT) plays a crucial role in the One Health approach. It connects data across human, animal, plant, and environmental health sectors. ICT is vital for One Health intelligence. It involves collecting and integrating data from the health sectors of humans, plants, animals, and the environment to support informed and coordinated decisions. As zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, environmental threats, and food security challenges rise, digital tools offer the foundation for quick and informed action.
“Data is crucial at that end,” she said. “The digitization of data is where we need to ensure that it is integrated.”
She said artificial intelligence can help detect unusual fever patterns that clinicians might otherwise overlook, and map where vectors are likely to thrive in upcoming seasons. “Data saves lives when it moves between sectors and borders – and back to communities,” said Wangari. “Artificial intelligence can detect unusual fevers or even deaths that clinicians would not be able to spot in routine health settings. In addition, when we observe the globe as it is, we can observe feeds of maps where vectors will thrive in the upcoming season.”
She added that there is a need for open, interoperable information systems that can connect the various sectors, allowing results from animal health laboratories and public health labs to be shared more quickly than the pathogen itself.
Wangari envisions an interconnected “data grid” where human, animal, and environmental systems communicate seamlessly. Open standards are needed so that satellites and climate feeds can be integrated into daily risk dashboards, she said.
Wangari reiterated that fragmentation remains one of Africa’s biggest challenges.
“Data is still fragmented across the continent,” she said. “We need to share data between ministries – health, finance, meteorological – so that we can predict and respond better when it comes to surveillance.”
She gave a practical example of how climate factors can disrupt public health efforts: “If you’re administering vaccines and it rains that morning, without considering meteorological data, the rainfall can undo days of work,” said Wangari. “That’s why data must move freely and openly to support effective decision-making.”
“One Health should not only be a slogan, but the wiring diagram for how systems should work,” she said.
She called for open data-sharing standards, regional collaboration, and investment in a specialized digital health workforce. According to Wangari, funding should also be allocated to regional nodes and public digital groups that can create specialized workforces and align procurement.
This is so countries aren’t locked into silos, but are working collaboratively.
At the Science for Africa Foundation, Wangari said the organization funded a cohort of eight grantees focused on climate and health research across the continent. However, she said that many of these researchers faced challenges that limited the full impact of their work.
“One of the major challenges we’ve seen is siloed data,” she said. “Various ministries and sectors tend to protect their data, making it difficult to collaborate.”
She said there is a need for formal agreements and structured accountability mechanisms to encourage inter-sectoral cooperation. “There’s a need to have formal MOUs with budget lines and key performance indicators tied to joint outcomes,” she said.
Wangari added that community mistrust and fear of data misuse often make it difficult to integrate indigenous knowledge into research efforts. She said that “clear legal frameworks, transparent governance, and feedback loops” are essential to ensure communities see value in participating in science. She pointed out the continent’s infrastructure and capacity gaps that are needed. Climate-health projects remain in early stages due to limited support and resources.
Wangari described collaboration as a key takeaway.
“One of the CPHIA highlights was the discussion on the importance of co-designing and co-creating research with different sectors,” she said. “That way, the impact of the work we’re supporting is truly felt by the communities.”
She said participants also shared real case studies from Africa that showcased local innovations and valuable lessons for those entering the climate and health or One Health fields.
Policy gaps and progress
Wangari said that while One Health has not yet been fully institutionalized into policy across the continent, there are strong signs of progress through collaborative research and leadership initiatives.
“Within Science for Africa, we have a flagship program called Developing Excellence Through Leadership and Training in Africa (DELTAS),” she said. “Under this program, we’ve supported Professor Asimu Porto, who leads the One Afrique platform, bringing together African researchers working in different areas of climate change and science.” In this platform, he’s working with African researchers, different areas of climate change and also different aspects of science. Using various aspects, he has been able to integrate lessons learned and translate them into policies across Africa, as well as guiding decision-making at a regional level when it comes to climate change.
At the community level, she said Science for Africa is focused on research that delivers tangible impact.
“We always ask our researchers to show how their work translates back to the community,” she said. “They’re required to work with community advisory boards to ensure that real, ground-level realities are integrated into their studies.”
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Wangari says culture is more of an asset than an obstacle in One Health. Culture facilitates shared values, community engagement, and collaboration across diverse sectors, leading to holistic, locally adapted health solutions that address the interdependent nature of human, animal, and environmental health. “From what we’ve seen from our grantees, culture is actually an add-on,” she said. “You have to immerse yourself in the community and appreciate the diversity across the continent. Cultural and societal aspects must be considered for climate change adaptation to succeed.”
She pointed to Turkana County in Kenya, where a local One Health initiative known as Timor-Liste integrates animal treatment, maternal health, vaccinations, and cultural practices, showing that community-centered approaches can strengthen health outcomes.
Wangari pointed out that women and youth are among the most vulnerable groups and also vital agents of change.
“Women and youth need critical support, especially when climate change occurs,” she said. “If they’re not included early, it undermines years of progress. That’s why we’re intentional about integrating them into the research we support and addressing the social barriers that hold them back.”
She called on women to take an active role in driving adaptation efforts.
“We must continue to support women as leaders and contributors in the climate and health space,” Wangari said. “Their participation strengthens resilience at every level of society.”
She said Africa is positioned to leapfrog when it comes to open and interoperable platforms and to provide regional data for ourselves. She added that this conference was organized to ensure that Africa is talking to each other and dictates what kind of research we want for our own priorities.
“For me, it is just to ensure and urge that we continue on this journey together so that we can support and enable each other to address climate change, and also use available tools such as artificial intelligence to track in terms of surveillance and prediction,” said Wangari.
allAfrica is a media partner of the CPHIA 2025.
