Risk assessment of emerging infectious diseases in China under the One Health framework

Background

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) pose significant public health challenges due to increasing interactions between humans, animals, and the environment. The One Health framework, an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, plays a critical role in the risk assessment of EIDs. The study aims to systematically review the risk assessment of EIDs in China under the One Health framework, covering policy support, monitoring and assessment systems, and implementation methods.

Methods

Relevant literature and official documents between 1997 and 2024 were retrieved from Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and government websites. Data were synthesized to analyze progress, challenges, and gaps.

Results

There were 43 academic studies and 31 official documents included in this review. The study found that risk assessment systems existed across human, animal, and environmental health sectors in China, and the government was advancing intelligent monitoring and fostering inter-departmental cooperation. However, several challenges remain in risk assessment of EIDs, including inadequate monitoring systems for unknown EIDs, limited capacity building for risk assessment in ecosystems and environmental systems, insufficiently detailed risk assessment guidance at the county level, and barriers to cross-sectoral information sharing at the international and county levels.

Conclusion

The findings highlighted the need to enhance risk assessment of EIDs at the local level, expand the scope of disease surveillance including aquatic and wild animals, and strengthen inter-departmental data sharing to improve early warning capabilities under the One Health framework.