World Health Day: “One Health, One Welfare”
World Health Day: “One Health, One Welfare”
Healthier animals mean healthier communities
Ahead of World Health Day on 7 April, a global animal welfare organisation is urging government to integrate animal welfare into the country’s One Health framework.
This approach links human, animal and environmental health and shows why animal welfare is a critical prevention tool.
Why this matters now
- Rabies remains a preventable killer.
In 2025, South Africa recorded 11 human rabies deaths and hundreds of animal cases, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo. Global animal welfare organisation four paws champions pet vaccination campaigns and educate owners, showing how community action saves lives.
- Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) continues to disrupt animal lives and industry profits.
South Africa is still battling FMD, with outbreaks reported in all nine provinces, with KwaZulu‑Natal and the Free State being the hardest‑hit. FMD causes painful lesions, fever and lameness, leading to significant animal suffering. Four paws urges the implementation of stronger welfare practices, lower stocking densities, less transport stress and improved biosecurity, to help limit disease spread and protect both animals and the communities who rely on them.
- Avian Influenza (HPAI) threatens food security and biodiversity.
After culling 10.5 million birds in 2023, outbreaks continued in 2025, prompting South Africa’s first poultry vaccination permit. Four paws warns that mass culling is not prevention and advocates for higher-welfare farming, biosecurity and vaccination strategies to protect poultry and seabirds like African penguins.
- Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is rising.
NICD data shows growing resistance in hospitals and veterinary sectors. Four paws calls for joint surveillance and an end to routine antibiotic use in livestock.
- Big cat exploitation persists.
South Africa remains a hotspot for captive big cat breeding and commercial trade, with lions and other species bred for tourism, hunting and bone export. Four paws research shows these practices fuel welfare abuses and zoonotic risk. The organisation urges government to close loopholes, enact the Policy Position to end captive lion breeding and accelerate a phase-out of big cat exploitation to protect biodiversity and public health.
How communities can help
- Vaccinate your pets and support community drives.
- Choose plant-based food.
- Say no to big cat interaction facilities and report illegal wildlife trade.
- Advocate for animal welfare in health and biodiversity policy.
World Health Day is commemorated annually on 7 April, marking the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) and focusing on critical global health themes.
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