18 May 2023 Volume :11 Issue :25

“Don’t Forget the Environment”

“Don’t Forget the Environment”
Dr Myrna De Rooij from the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences at Utrecht University in The Netherlands.

Hosted by lecturer and researcher, Dr Nkosana Jafta, the Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health held a seminar on transmission of diseases from animals to humans.

Veterinarian, epidemiologist, and assistant professor at the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, Dr Myrna De Rooij outlined the One Health approach that aims to balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems.

She highlighted the relationship between humans, health, and the environment stating: ‘As humans, we’ve neglected the environment. It is critical that we take care of it as it can be a reservoir of or directly cause pathogens to spill over from animals to humans.’ Such an approach is imperative in order to understand and prevent emerging infectious and non-communicable diseases.

De Rooij highlighted the importance of interdisciplinarity as collaboration across sectors and disciplines not only contributes to protecting health, but to addressing health challenges such as the emergence of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food safety, and promoting the health and integrity of our ecosystems.

De Rooij’s research and teaching focus lies in microbial One Health issues, focusing mainly on the impact of insects and livestock farming on public health. She is involved in a large-scale, long-term study on agricultural air pollution and respiratory health, zoonotic infections and antimicrobial resistance among the inhabitants of rural areas in The Netherlands.

She has made meaningful contributions to research on epidemics and the role of environmental transmission. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has contributed to several studies on SARS-CoV-2 transmission, including environmental characterisation of infected mink farms and meat processing plants.

Words: Mandisa Shozi

Photograph: Supplied


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