DOQ interview with Marion Koopmans
Human, animal, and environmental health are connected
In recent years, viruses that previously only occurred in Southern Europe are appearing more frequently in the Netherlands. For example, both West Nile virus and Usutu virus are now circulating among birds and mosquitoes in the Netherlands. Virologist Marion Koopmans (Erasmus MC) sees a clear message in this: “Human health cannot be viewed separately from the health of animals and ecosystems. That is precisely what One Health is about.”
In a recent (Dutch) interview with DOQ.nl, Marion Koopmans, scientific director of the PDPC, talks about One Health: ‘Gezondheid van mens, dier en natuur horen bij elkaar’. She explains that the One Health approach is important for predicting which health problems are emerging. This is also reflected in a recently published article in Nature Communications, discussing the rise of arboviruses in the Netherlands: One Health approach uncovers emergence and dynamics of Usutu and West Nile viruses in the Netherlands. Read the full Open Access publication here.