Climate Change, Zoonoses, and Vaccine Equity: A One Health Framework

Courage Chandipwisa ORCID ,  Harrison Banda ORCID ,  Agness Shimilimo ORCID

    Received: 11 October 2025; Revised: 9 November 2025; Accepted: 26 November 2025; Published: 1 December 2025

    Abstract

    Climate change is increasingly recognized as a driver of zoonotic disease emergence, reshaping ecological interactions and amplifying risks to human and animal health. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events accelerate vector breeding cycles, disrupt habitats, and intensify human-animal contact, thereby expanding opportunities for pathogen spillover. This review aims to synthesize evidence on climate‑linked zoonotic threats and examine how vaccine equity and policy integration within a One Health framework can strengthen global preparedness. A narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, covering publications from 2005 to 2025. Keywords included climate change, zoonotic diseases, One Health, surveillance, vaccine equity, and health disparities. Evidence highlights climate‑sensitive diseases such as malaria, Rift Valley fever, and leptospirosis as major global health challenges. Surveillance systems, including the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, the Global Early Warning System, the International Pathogen Surveillance Network, and the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System, provide critical early warning capacity but remain unevenly implemented in low‑ and middle‑income countries. Vaccine equity challenges persist among displaced populations, rural communities, and marginalized groups, with barriers linked to infrastructure, misinformation, and systemic inequities. Embedding climate resilience, equity, and community participation into One Health strategies is essential for mitigating zoonotic threats. Strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration, digital innovation, and policy harmonization will be pivotal in advancing surveillance, prevention, and vaccine equity, thereby enhancing global preparedness against future climate‑driven zoonotic disease risks.

    Keywords

    References

    1. 1. Singh, B.B.; Ward, M.P.; Kostoulas, P.; et al. Zoonosis–Why we should reconsider “What’s in a name?”. Front. Public Health 2023, 11, 1133330. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1133330
    2. 2. Chomel, B.B. Zoonoses. Ref. Modul. Biomed. Sci. 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-801238-3.02426-0
    3. 3. Narayan, K.G.; Sinha, D.K.; Singh, D.K. Zoonoses. In Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology; Springer: Singapore, 2023; pp. 21–33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7800-5_2
    4. 4. Fauci, A.S.; Morens, D.M. The Perpetual Challenge of Infectious Diseases. N. Engl. J. Med. 2012, 366, 454–461. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1108296
    5. 5. Horefti, E. The Importance of the One Health Concept in Combating Zoonoses. Pathogens 2023, 12, 977. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12080977
    6. 6. Halliday, J.E.B.; Allan, K.J.; Ekwem, D.; et al. Endemic zoonoses in the tropics: A public health problem hiding in plain sight. Vet. Rec. 2015, 176, 220–225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.h798
    7. 7. Weiss, R.A.; Sankaran, N. Emergence of epidemic diseases: Zoonoses and other origins. Fac. Rev. 2022, 11, 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12703/r/11-2
    8. 8. Filho, W.L.; Nagy, G.J.; Gbaguidi, J.G.; et al. The role of climatic changes in the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases: Bibliometric analysis and literature-supported studies on zoonoses. One Health Outlook 2025, 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42522-024-00127-3
    9. 9. Dong, X.; Soong, L. Emerging and Re-emerging Zoonoses Are Major and Global Challenges for Public Health. Zoonoses 2021, 1, e999. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15212/ZOONOSES-2021-0001
    10. 10. Rahman, M.T.; Sobur, M.A.; Islam, M.S.; et al. Zoonotic diseases: Etiology, impact, and control. Microorganisms 2020, 8, 1405. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8091405
    11. 11. Esposito, M.M.; Turku, S.; Lehrfield, L.; et al. The impact of human activities on zoonotic infection transmissions. Animals 2023, 13, 1646. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13101646
    12. 12. International Monetary Fund. World Economic Outlook, October 2020: A Long and Difficult Ascent; International Monetary Fund: Washington, DC, USA, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513556055.081
    13. 13. Prescott, S.L.; Logan, A.C.; Bristow, J.; et al. Exiting the Anthropocene: Achieving personal and planetary health in the 21st century. Allergy 2022, 77, 3498–3512. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/all.15419
    14. 14. Khan, A.; Yasin, M.; Aqueel, M.A.; et al. Vector-Borne Disease and Climate Change. In Arthropods—New Advances and Perspectives; IntechOpen: London, UK, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107120
    15. 15. Alcayna, T.; Rao, V.B.; Lowe, R. Identifying the climate sensitivity of infectious diseases: A conceptual framework. Lancet Planet. Health 2025, 9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.101291
    16. 16. Marrana, M. Epidemiology of disease through the interactions between humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. In One Health; Academic Press: London, UK, 2022; pp. 73–111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822794-7.00001-0
    17. 17. Caminade, C.; Jones, A.E. Malaria in a warmer West Africa. Nat. Clim. Change 2016, 6, 984–985. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3095
    18. 18. Ryan, S.J.; Lippi, C.A.; Zermoglio, F. Shifting transmission risk for malaria in Africa with climate change: A framework for planning and intervention. Malar. J. 2023, 19, 170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-020-03224-6
    19. 19. Cuervo, P.F.; Artigas, P.; Lorenzo-Morales, J.; et al. Ecological niche modelling approaches: Challenges and applications in vector-borne diseases. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8, 187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8040187
    20. 20. Matsumoto-Takahashi, E.L.A.; Iwagami, M.; Oyoshi, K.; et al. Deforestation inhibits malaria transmission in Lao PDR: A spatial epidemiology using Earth observation satellites. Trop. Med. Health 2023, 51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-023-00554-4
    21. 21. Leal Filho, W.; Vidal, D.G.; Dinis, M.A.P. Climate Change and Health Hazards; Springer Nature: Cham, Switzerland, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26592-1
    22. 22. Askari, A.; Sharifi, I.; Aflatoonian, M.R.; et al. A newly emerged focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in South-western Iran. Microb. Pathog. 2018, 121, 363–368. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2018.04.053
    23. 23. Johnson, R.C.; Segla, H.; Dougnon, T.V.; et al. Situation of Water, Hygiene and Sanitation in a Peri-Urban Area in Benin, West Africa: The Case of Sèmè-Podji. J. Environ. Prot. 2014, 5, 1277–1283. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/jep.2014.512121
    24. 24. World Health Organization. One Health Is Critical to Addressing Zoonotic Public Health Threats and Environmental Issues; WHO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2022.
    25. 25. World Wildlife Fund. Reducing Zoonotic Disease Risk from Wildlife Trade. Available online: https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/reducing-zoonotic-disease-risk-from-wildlife-trade (accessed on 1 October 2025).
    26. 26. Simegn, G.L.; Degu, M.Z.; Gebeyehu, W.B.; et al. Spatiotemporal distribution of climate-sensitive disease incidences in Ethiopia: A longitudinal retrospective analysis of Malaria, Meningitis, Cholera, Dysentery, Leishmaniasis and Dengue fever between 2010 and 2022/2023. BMC Public Health 2024, 24, 697. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18054-3
    27. 27. Fikadu, M.; Ashenafi, E. Malaria: An Overview. Infect. Drug Resist. 2023, 16, 3339–3347. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S405668
    28. 28. Azerigyik, F.A.; Cagle, S.M.; Wilson, W.C.; et al. The Temperature-Associated Effects of Rift Valley Fever Virus Infections in Mosquitoes and Climate-Driven Epidemics: A Review. Viruses 2025, 17, 217. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020217
    29. 29. Rajapakse, S. Leptospirosis: Clinical aspects. Clin. Med. 2022, 22, 14–17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmed.2021-0784
    30. 30. World Health Organization. International Health Regulations (2005); WHO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2008; p. 12.
    31. 31. World Health Organization. Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) Strategy: 2022–2026 Implementation Plan; WHO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2024; p. 13.
    32. 32. Burki, T. A new network for pathogen surveillance. Lancet Infect. Dis. 2023, 23, 792–793. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00385-7
    33. 33. Hay, A.J.; McCauley, J.W. The WHO global influenza surveillance and response system (GISRS)—A future perspective. Influenza Other Respir. Viruses 2018, 12, 551–557. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.12565
    34. 34. Rao, C.Y.; Goryoka, G.W.; Henao, O.L.; et al. Global disease detection achievements in applied public health research, capacity building, and public health diplomacy, 2001–2016. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2017, 23, S138–S146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2313.170859
    35. 35. Sangong, S.; Saah, F.I.; Bain, L.E. Effective community engagement in one health research in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. One Health Outlook 2025, 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42522-024-00126-4
    36. 36. Gupta, J.; Pal, S.; Jain, S.; et al. Emerging Paradigms and Predictive Models in Eco-Epidemiology for Disease Control in Human and Wildlife Populations. In E-Waste: From Generation to Management–Practices, Challenges, and Solutions; Springer: Singapore, 2025; pp. 315–347. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-0329-2_16
    37. 37. Finn, S.; Herne, M.; Castille, D. The Value of Traditional Ecological Knowledge for the Environmental Health Sciences and Biomedical Research. Environ. Health Perspect. 2017, 125, 085006.
    38. 38. Yasobant, S.; Bruchhausen, W.; Saxena, D.; et al. Who could be One Health Activist at the community level?: A case for India. Hum. Resour. Health 2021, 19, 13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00558-3
    39. 39. Butala, C.; Fyfe, J.; Welburn, S.C. The Contribution of Community Health Education to Sustainable Control of the Neglected Zoonotic Diseases. Front. Public Health 2021, 9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.729973
    40. 40. Vatwani, A.R. Cultural Barriers. In Vaccine Hesitancy Curriculum; Springer: Cham, Switzerland, 2025; pp. 19–31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-88668-3_2
    41. 41. Dushkova, D.; Ivlieva, O. Empowering Communities to Act for a Change: A Review of the Community Empowerment Programs towards Sustainability and Resilience. Sustainability 2024, 16, 8700. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198700
    42. 42. Packer, J.; Turpin, G.; Ens, E.; et al. Building partnerships for linking biomedical science with traditional knowledge of customary medicines: A case study with two Australian Indigenous communities. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 2019, 15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-019-0348-6
    43. 43. Kshirsagar, D.P.; Savalia, C.V.; Kalyani, I.H.; et al. Disease alerts and forecasting of zoonotic diseases: An overview. Vet. World 2013, 6, 889–896. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2013.889-896
    44. 44. Lal, A.; Ashworth, H.C.; Dada, S.; et al. Optimizing pandemic preparedness and response through health information systems: Lessons learned from Ebola to COVID-19. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 2022, 16, 333–340. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.361
    45. 45. Fauci, A.S.; Folkers, G.K. Pandemic preparedness and response: Lessons from COVID-19. J. Infect. Dis. 2023, 228, 422–425. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiad095
    46. 46. Lubanga, A.F.; Bwanali, A.N.; Kangoma, M.; et al. Addressing the re-emergence and resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases in Africa: A health equity perspective. Hum. Vaccin. Immunother. 2024, 20, 2375081. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2024.2375081
    47. 47. Williams, J.T.; O’Leary, S.T. Multilevel approaches to immunization equity. Curr. Opin. Immunol. 2024, 91, 102496. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2024.102496
    48. 48. Persaud, N.; Sabir, A.; Woods, H.; et al. Preventive care recommendations to promote health equity. Can. Med. Assoc. J. 2023, 195, E1250–E1273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.230237
    49. 49. Contributing to One World, One Health—A Strategic Framework for Reducing Risks of Infectious Diseases at the Animal-Human-Ecosystems Interface. Available online: https://www.preventionweb.net/files/8627_OWOH14Oct08.pdf (accessed on 20 September 2025).
    50. 50. One Health. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/one-health (accessed on 20 September 2025).
    51. 51. World Health Organization. Health Equity. Available online: https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-equity (accessed on 20 September 2025).
    52. 52. Bang, H.N. Sustainable development goals, disaster risk management, and indigenous knowledge: A critical assessment of the interlinkages. Sustain. Earth Rev. 2024, 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s42055-024-00101-x
    53. 53. Mamun, A.A.; Alam, M. Promoting Equity in Public Health: Addressing Inequality and Social Disparities. Health Sci. Rep. 2025, 8, e70821. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70821
    54. 54. Gabani, J.; Mazumdar, S.; Suhrcke, M. The effect of health financing systems on health system outcomes: A cross‐country panel analysis. Health Econ. 2022, 32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.4635
    55. 55. The 2019 Berlin Principles on One Health. Available online: https://oneworldonehealth.wcs.org/About-Us/Mission/The-2019-Berlin-Principles-on-One-Health.aspx (accessed on 23 September 2025).
    56. 56. Gruetzmacher, K.; Karesh, W.B.; Amuasi, J.H.; et al. The Berlin principles on one health—Bridging global health and conservation. Sci. Total Environ. 2021, 764, 142919. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142919
    57. 57. Jindal, M.; Chaiyachati, K.H.; Fung, V.; et al. Eliminating health care inequities through strengthening access to care. Health Serv. Res. 2023, 58, 300–310. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.14202
    58. 58. Global Trends Report 2022. Available online: https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2022 (accessed on 23 September 2025).
    59. 59. Ortiz-Millán, G. One Health in a globalized world: Challenges and responses to zoonotic threats. Glob. Bioeth. 2025, 36, 2550805. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/11287462.2025.2550805
    60. 60. Kibebew, K.; Dube, J. Review of Climate Change and Its Impact on Zoonotic Disease Transmission: The Need for One Health Interventions. Am. J. Zool. 2025, 8, 1–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20250801.11
    61. 61. Makula, V.; Khare, D. AI for Climate and Health: A Survey of Machine Learning and Big Data Applications in Environmental Risk Analysis. IOSR J. Comput. Eng. 2025, 27, 32–36.
    62. 62. Arsheen, S.; Ahmad, K. ImmuneChain: A Blockchain-Based Secure and Transparent Vaccine Supply Chain. SN Comput. Sci. 2024, 6, 40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-024-03421-z
    63. 63. Sharan, M.; Vijay, D.; Yadav, J.P.; et al. Surveillance and Response Strategies for Zoonotic Diseases: A Comprehensive Review. Sci. One Health 2023, 2, 100050. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soh.2023.100050
    64. 64. Muhammad-Bashir, B.; Halimah, B.A. Challenges and future perspectives for the application of One Health. In One Health; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2022; pp. 329–343. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822794-7.00007-1
    65. 65. ‌Mohanty, M.; Rath, S.; Nayak, G.; et al. Perspective Chapter: One Health Approach to Zoonotic Disease Control—Collaboration and Integration across Sectors. In Current Topics in Emerging and Reemerging Zoonoses; IntechOpen: London, UK, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1011860
    66. 66. Borham, A.; Abdel Motaal, K.; ElSersawy, N.; et al. Climate Change and Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks: Emerging Evidence from Epidemiology and Toxicology. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 883. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22060883
    67. 67. Destoumieux-Garzón, D.; Mavingui, P.; Boetsch, G.; et al. The One Health concept: 10 years old and a long road ahead. Front. Vet. Sci. 2020, 7, 163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00014
    68. 68. Halonen, J.I.; Erhola, M.; Furman, E.; et al. A call for urgent action to safeguard our planet and our health in line with the helsinki declaration. Environ. Res. 2021, 193, 110600. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.110600‌
    ×