BANGLADESH is facing its worst dengue outbreak on record, a deadly reminder that human, animal and environmental health cannot be separated. With 169 million people living alongside millions of livestock, the country’s densely populated landscape has become a ‘pathogenic pressure chamber’. It is therefore time to move beyond isolated crisis management and adopt a unified One Health approach that protects people, animals and ecosystems alike. Policy and research must acknowledge how closely intertwined human and animal health truly are, yet responses persistently remain fragmented and reactive, with doctors, veterinarians and environmental advocates fighting the same battle from different command centres. What is needed now is a shift from disjointed firefighting to coordinated, preventive governance, an one health approach that links people, animals and ecosystems to build a resilient and sustainable Bangladesh.
The One Health concept itself emerged from the early recognition of zoonoses and the shared purpose across public, animal, and environmental health in preventing diseases that pass between species. Its global relevance grew sharply following the H5N1 avian influenza panzootic, the subsequent H1N1 pandemic, and finally the Covid-19 crisis, after which world leaders and international organisations fully acknowledged the necessity of One Health for managing health risks arising at the human–animal–ecosystem interface. At the same time, the idea has continued to evolve in scope and ambition.
Yet Bangladesh’s challenges remain stark. Our geographical density is both a strength and a vulnerability. With more than 1,265 people and around 3,000 livestock animals, including 396 million poultry, per square kilometre, even minor disruptions in human or animal health can cascade into widespread disease. Despite this interconnectedness, the systems designed to manage these risks remain largely disconnected. The Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Fisheries and Livestock, and Environment still work in parallel, each addressing overlapping responsibilities with little coordination. When avian influenza strikes, mass culling follows and its economic fallout — bankruptcies and food insecurity — is treated as an entirely separate issue. When dengue surges in cities, responses fixate on mosquito control while the deeper problems of waste management and chronic waterlogging go largely unaddressed.
In Dhaka and other urban centres, uncollected rubbish and stagnant water sustain mosquito-borne diseases. In rural areas, gaps in communication between veterinary and public health services leave livestock keepers vulnerable to zoonoses. Deforestation and unregulated industrial waste continue to damage ecosystems, while air pollution, unsafe food production and inappropriate antibiotic use quietly undermine household health. Anthrax remains entrenched where veterinary services are weak, affecting farmers and slaughterhouse workers and inflicting both human and economic losses. Similarly, Nipah does not emerge solely from bats but from broader systemic failures linked to agriculture, forestry and cultural practices; failures rooted in weak surveillance, insufficient preparedness and limited awareness.
Time and again, outbreaks such as Nipah, anthrax and dengue are treated as isolated crises, addressed only after harm has occurred. This fragmented model wastes resources, slows response and traps the country in a cycle of reactive crisis management. It is no longer enough to tackle one disease at a time; the connections must be recognised before the next outbreak begins.
These shortcomings make the need for change even more pressing. The recent draft of Bangladesh’s One Health Strategic Framework offers a way out of this reactive cycle. Over the past decade, One Health has quietly taken shape as a national agenda, driven by growing recognition that human, animal and environmental health are inseparable. Yet with climate change, urban crowding and cross-species diseases intensifying, this recognition must now be translated from principle into action.
The new draft ‘Bangladesh One Health Strategic Framework 2025–2030’ sets out a timely and ambitious vision: ‘To minimise the consequences of emerging and high-impact diseases through institutionalising the One Health approach, contributing to food security, food safety and a healthy population in thriving ecosystems.’ It lays the groundwork for more coordinated health governance by bringing ministries, researchers and local actors under one framework. Its purpose is straightforward: prevent outbreaks before they occur by uniting the systems that safeguard people, animals and the environment. It also aligns national resilience with the Sustainable Development Goals, acknowledging that public health and environmental integrity are inseparable.
However, good intentions alone will not deliver change. Bangladesh already has skilled doctors, veterinarians, scientists and public health experts. What it lacks is structured coordination. The components exist, but they have rarely been linked effectively. Turning vision into practical action therefore requires a comprehensive rethinking of national health governance.
A high-level National One Health Coordination Council could bring together the Ministries of Health, Fisheries and Livestock, Agriculture, Environment and Local Government, enabling unified planning, shared data systems and faster joint responses to emerging threats. Shared surveillance systems that connect health, livestock and environmental data would allow real-time tracking of outbreaks, drug resistance and ecological risks, transforming scattered information into meaningful insight. Education must also play a role, with future doctors, veterinarians and environmental specialists trained to collaborate rather than operate in silos and joint university programmes helping build a generation rooted in shared expertise. Public awareness is equally essential: basic acts such as proper waste disposal, responsible antibiotic use and habitat protection can have far-reaching effects. Here, the media and civil society can help citizens understand that public health is a collective responsibility. International institutions including World Health Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank are already supporting such initiatives globally, and Bangladesh can strengthen its efforts through targeted technical support and regional cooperation, particularly in cross-border surveillance.
None of these measures will materialise overnight. They demand political will, social awareness, long-term investment and clear accountability. Yet they are entirely within reach. Rwanda has already brought parastatal agencies, universities, NGOs and the private sector into a shared One Health framework, while Vietnam, prompted by the 2003 avian influenza outbreak, adopted an integrated One Health model across health, agriculture, environment, and other sectors to improve communication and coordination, ultimately strengthening public health outcomes.
For Bangladesh, the path forward lies not in isolated initiatives but in coordinated, long-term action, becoming a true One Health nation grounded in shared responsibility and a common vision. These international examples show that success depends more on sustained commitment than on financial resources. Bangladesh already possesses the expertise, institutions and scientific capacity; what is needed now is the will to connect them. Our future depends on recognising that human, animal and environmental health is inseparable. The tools and urgency are already before us; what remains is collective determination. Acting now can transform vulnerability into resilience and position the country as a regional leader in holistic health governance.
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Dr Md Abdul Latif is additional director and Afsana Akter is a research associate at Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management.
