Medicina veterinária de povos e comunidades tradicionais: um modelo para promoção ao bem-estar e saúde única

Abstract

The current model of the relationship between humans and the environment contributes to harmful effects on living beings, resulting in the reduction of biodiversity, habitat fragmentation, and an increase in zoonotic diseases. Traditional communities have historically faced these impacts through environmental racism, food insecurity, exposure to diseases, and institutional neglect, which are associated with the impacts stemming from environmental damage and a health scenario marked by coloniality and direct effects. Although access to healthcare has changed over time, specific care for traditional peoples was delayed, with programs and policies emerging only in recent decades. The One Health concept, linked to One Welfare, arises as a strategy to integrate human, animal, plant, and environmental health care, highlighting the importance of health education and transdisciplinarity in community resilience. Thus, this study aimed to present four key areas for implementing an action model in One Welfare and One Health in Traditional Territories, specifically in the Xakriabá Indigenous Land, based on: (a) specific measures in socio-environmental diagnosis, One Health and humanitarian education; (b) promotion and surveillance in the health of domestic animals and wildlife; (c) monitoring of wildlife species and their respective impacts; and (d) implementation of a specific model, based on literature review, for the One Welfare and One Health approach in traditional territories. Data analysis highlights the complexity of challenges faced by indigenous communities and the importance of integrated actions to promote One Health. Related to knowledge exchange-based educational practices, training of professionals as well as education of children, youth, and adults throughout the intervention was fundamental, promoting better understanding of One Health, animal welfare, and the environment. The socio-environmental diagnosis showed moderate incidence of chronic, zoonotic, and emerging diseases in human and animal populations, in addition to the need for preventive and educational strategies combining traditional knowledge and scientific methods to promote an effective health system from a One Health perspective. Primary animal health care was currently absent in the territory but important, especially through health protocols, basic animal welfare measures, and pathogen and ectoparasite surveillance programs. Moreover, the coexistence of domestic and wildlife animals in the studied areas suggests the need for continuous monitoring to conserve local fauna, reinforcing the need for investment in animal health and capacity building of local actors as indispensable for sustainability of programs. Species diversity and collected data reinforce the need for multidisciplinary approaches for disease identification and treatment, and implementation of a basic primary animal healthcare model, promoting One Health and social justice. Finally, based on an extensive review and considering the appreciation of traditional knowledge and promotion of active participation as pillars for more effective and sustainable responses, especially when communities become protagonists in all care stages, it was established that situational diagnosis, socio-environmental aspects applied to the local context, basic One Health measures, communication and ecology of knowledge, and strategies for feedback and active participation are important steps for implementing enduring actions in One Welfare and One Health in traditional territories. The urgency for action is clear given the imperative to implement integrated policies addressing biodiversity loss and promoting sustainable solutions from an eco-social perspective. Thus, integration of human, animal, plant, and environmental health must be a priority in public policies, strengthening Brazil’s Unified Health System and ensuring One Health is effectively promoted, reducing inequalities and guaranteeing equitable access to essential services.