One world, one health: combating infectious diseases in the age of globalization

There has been a resurgence of the H7N9 bird-flu virus in China since last winter, resulting in over 460 human infections—the largest number since the first outbreak in 2013—raising serious concerns about its further spread and the effectiveness of existing anti-viral drugs. This is just the latest example of the increasing threat from emerging infectious diseases. Due to a combination of factors related to farming practices, human behaviour, international travel, globalization and climate change, there has been a succession of such pandemics in recent years, such as Severe Acute Respiration Syndrome (SARS), Nipah, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola and Zika, posing an unprecedented challenge to scientists and health workers worldwide. In a forum organized by National Science Review at the World Life Science Conference last November, an international panel of scientists discussed the lessons that have learned from a string of pandemics in recent years, the importance of international collaboration and sharing research benefits more equitably, why there is an urgent need to move towards the one-health approach, and how China could play a leading role in the global effort to combat infectious diseases.