---
title: Is there an animal in your family closet?
description: Is there an animal in your family closet?
---

<https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources>

# [Is there an animal in your family closet?](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2015/06/is-there-animal-in-your-family-closet.html)

 Written by [Nicole Kenny](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/author/nicole-kenny) | Jun 5, 2015 3:46:00 PM

<http://static1.squarespace.com/static/595689fc9de4bbc892200518/t/59568aca5fd63b5f2928772a/1498845263736//img.jpg.com/static/595689fc9de4bbc892200518/t/59568aca5fd63b5f2928772b/1498843850127/1000w/> As mentioned in the “[Welcome to  
 2015](http://talkcleantome.blogspot.ca/2015/01/welcome-to-2015.html)” blog, this year we want to intertwine content from areas outside of  
 healthcare.   One of the areas that we  
 want to spend more time on is around the concept of “[One Health](http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/about.php)”.  This is a growing movement with the intention  
 to create interdisciplinary collaborations, research and education in all aspects  
 of health care for humans, animals and the environment.  The One Health concept recognizes that the  
 health of humans is CONNECTED to the health of animals and the environment and vice  
 versa.

In truth, the concept of One Health is not new.  However, with the emergence and re-emergence  
 of many diseases in recent years we are realizing that interactions among  
 humans, animals, and the environment such as travel, how we live, and what we  
 eat are impacting our health.  Our  
 existence is based on cause and effect.   
 For example, yesterday while at a trade show I ate a bazillion  
 mini-chocolates for the simple fact that they were in front of me and when it  
 comes to chocolate, my willpower is virtually non-existent.  What was the effect of eating all that  
 chocolate?  I got a headache from too  
 much sugar.

Let’s take a look at a few cause and effect situations from interactions  
 between humans and animals.

1. Human populations are growing and expanding into areas that  
    were previously inhabited by animals.   
    The result being that as we increase the number of people that live in  
    close contact with wild and even domestic animals, this closeness provides more  
    opportunities for disease to pass between animals and people.   I think most of us can give examples of how  
    we see more wildlife in our cities.  In  
    fact in the [Toronto  
    area a black bear was recently put down](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/black-bear-roaming-newmarket-backyards-shot-dead-by-police-1.3095029) because it was running around in a  
    suburb.
2. Our growth and development has caused [changes to climate](http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs266/en/)  
    and land use (e.g. deforestation to build homes and intensive farming practices).  
    The result? Disruptions in environmental conditions and habitats provide new  
    opportunities for diseases to pass to animals.
3. The world has become a very small place.  Our ability to [travel internationally](http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/195/5/621.full)  
    in very short periods of time means diseases can spread quickly across the  
    globe.  Case in point, prior to 2014, who  
    would have thought that North America would ever have seen a case of Ebola virus?

Like humans, animals share our susceptibility to diseases  
 and changes in the environment (e.g. climate, chemical contamination).  Because of this, they can serve as early  
 warning signs of potential human illness.   
 West Nile Virus is a great example.   
 Birds often die of the virus before humans get sick.  Being vigilant for signs of disease in  
 animals can help protect our health or at least trigger us to look into what is  
 going on!  We will never know when the  
 next contagion will arrive that can wipe out a significant portion of our human  
 population.  Increasing our focus in the  
 concept of One Health and working with people from all areas; human medicine,  
 animal medicine, and environmental science can and will ensure that we can all  
 happily coexist for generations to come!

I hope you’ll take some time to learn more about the One  
 Health Initiative.  If you don’t do it on  
 your own, you can be sure you’ll see blogs about it in the weeks and months to  
 come!

*Bugging Off!*

Nicole

[View full post](https://www.viroxanimalhealth.com/resources/talkcleantome/2015/06/is-there-animal-in-your-family-closet.html)

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