April 7, 2026, marks the 78th World Health Day. At the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), this year's theme is "Working Together for Health, With Firm Support for Science," focusing on the core concept of "One Health"-that human health, animal health, and environmental health are inseparable and interdependent. This concept is moving from scientific consensus to global action, becoming a crucial cornerstone for countries to build public health defenses.
April 7th is World Health Day, established by the World Health Organization. In 2026, the WHO, under the theme "Working Together for Health, Supporting Science," issued a clear appeal to the world: health protection cannot be done in isolation, but requires collaborative action across disciplines, sectors, and countries. The "One Health" concept is the core pillar of this year's event, emphasizing that the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems is an inseparable whole.
Why is "One Health" important?
Data shows that approximately 60% of known infectious diseases and up to 75% of emerging infectious diseases worldwide originate from animals. Zoonotic diseases affect more than 2 billion people annually, claiming over 2 million lives. Meanwhile, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is becoming a "silent epidemic"-if left unchecked, it could cause more than 10 million deaths globally each year by 2050.
These problems are not isolated. Air pollution causes approximately 7 million premature deaths annually; unsafe food makes approximately 600 million people sick each year. As Dr. Piukara, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, stated: "These are not isolated problems; they are interconnected. Therefore, our solutions must also be interconnected. Acting unilaterally will not produce the results we need."
"One Health" is an integrated and holistic collaborative concept, at its core acknowledging the inseparable and interdependent relationship between human, animal, and environmental health. Currently, over 60% of emerging infectious diseases globally originate from animals, with frequent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza, Ebola, and dengue fever; "superbugs" spawned by antibiotic overuse are crossing species and spreading among humans, livestock, and the environment; and climate change and environmental pollution simultaneously threaten human health, biodiversity, and ecosystem stability. These crises are no longer issues in isolated areas, but rather common challenges facing the entire community of life.
Lyon Summit: The world's highest-level "One Health" conference
On the eve of World Health Day, the "One Health" summit, jointly hosted by the World Health Organization and France, the rotating chair of the G7, opened in Lyon, France on April 6. Leaders from numerous countries, representatives from NGOs, the scientific community, and civil society groups gathered for this highest-level meeting ever advocating the "One Health" agenda.
In an official statement, French President Emmanuel Macron stated, "The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that our health depends on the holistic protection of life."
The summit focused on four main themes: zoonotic disease hosts and vectors, pollution exposure, sustainable food systems, and antimicrobial resistance. At the high-level meeting on April 7, leaders are expected to issue a declaration committing to the international community to "prevent global health, food, and environmental risks."
The Lyon Summit, themed "Jointly Reflecting on How to Maintain Health and Protect Nature," focused on four core issues: prevention and control of zoonotic diseases, pollution exposure remediation, sustainable food systems, and antimicrobial resistance. French President Macron emphasized in his address: "The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly reminded us that human health is never isolated, but depends on the holistic protection of the entire life system." During the summit, representatives from nearly 800 research institutions from over 80 countries participated in the first WHO Collaborating Centre Global Forum, jointly building the world's largest network for health science and technology cooperation and promoting the rapid transformation of cutting-edge research findings into public health policies and practices. Countries pledged to increase inter-sectoral collaboration, strengthen wildlife disease monitoring, environmental health risk assessment, and the entire food supply chain for safety management, cutting off health threats at their source.
Global Action: From Consensus to Practice
Following the Lyon Summit, the inaugural WHO Collaborating Centre Global Forum will be held from April 7 to 9, bringing together nearly 800 scientific institutions from over 80 countries. This is the largest scientific network to date gathered around a UN specialized agency.
At the regional level, countries are translating the "One Health" concept into action. In the Western Pacific, Indonesia is strengthening surveillance and vaccination efforts against zoonotic diseases; hospitals in Malaysia are coordinating efforts to enhance their capacity to combat antimicrobial resistance.
In South Asia, WHO is promoting the establishment of a South Asia High Temperature Health Information Network hub, combining climate science with public health to address the health risks posed by extreme heat.
Dr. Bomme, WHO's Acting Regional Director for Southeast Asia, stated: "Health risks across the region are increasingly influenced by climate change, environmental change, and the evolution of disease patterns. Effective responses require a stronger, science-led, cross-sectoral approach based on the 'One Health' perspective."
China in Action: Empowering Development with Technology to Fulfill the Concept of "One Health"
The National Health Commission has designated "Sharing Scientific and Technological Innovation, Working Together for a Healthier Future" as the theme for China's World Health Day in 2026. The notice requires all regions to widely publicize cases of the transformation and application of scientific and technological innovations in health, showcasing the improvements that scientific and technological innovation has brought to medical and health work, while advocating for harmonious coexistence between humanity and the natural environment and reducing the impact of health risk factors.
China has prioritized "Sharing Technological Innovation, Working Together for Health" in its domestic public awareness campaign. In recent years, China has actively implemented the "One Health" concept: health, agriculture, and forestry departments have collaborated on monitoring and prevention of zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza and brucellosis; an environmental health risk early warning system has been built using AI and big data technologies; and green agriculture and antibiotic reduction are being promoted to protect soil, water, and food safety. The National Health Commission stated that it will continue to deepen international scientific and technological cooperation and integrate "One Health" into the construction of a Healthy China and global health governance.
Conclusion
The core message of World Health Day 2026 is clear and powerful: Health is not an island. Human health is inextricably linked to animal health and environmental health. Faced with increasingly complex and interconnected health risks, we need to firmly support science, rebuild trust in evidence, and translate commitments into comprehensive and coordinated action within the framework of "One Health."
Health knows no borders, and safety is interconnected. From responding to emerging infectious diseases to curbing antibiotic resistance, from improving the ecological environment to ensuring food security, "One Health" points the way for global public health governance. World Health Day is not only a commemoration and initiative, but also a call to action-only through international cooperation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and public participation, using science as a bond to place the health of humans, animals, and the environment within a shared defense line, can we truly achieve a sustainable healthy future and protect our shared planet.
As the WHO has called for: Choose evidence, believe facts, and support science-led efforts to achieve health for humans, animals, and the planet. On this World Health Day, everyone can become a science ambassador-starting with daily hygiene habits, caring for animals and the environment, and jointly building a global health defense line.
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