One Health (OH) is a comprehensive approach that recognizes the human-animal-environment interconnection to health and is applied to prevent and control zoonoses—diseases transmitted between animals and people. Using a multiple-method case study, we examined zoonoses networks, resource management mechanisms, and coordination strategies among policymakers and decision-makers of Peru’s human, agricultural, and environmental systems at national and sub-national levels. Social network analysis revealed collaborations between the human and agricultural systems, with limited connection with environmental systems. Only a few links were reported between national and sub-national government levels. Qualitative analysis identified structural barriers, including insufficient regulatory mechanisms for funding cross-sectoral activities. Public financing structures created siloes and resource disparities across systems, hindering sustained multisectoral collaboration. There is a need to regulate the role of environmental systems, including forest protection services, in OH initiatives. Local regulations were used to formalize work agreements with local organizations and compel participation in multisectoral activities. A nationwide OH policy that mandates multisectoral engagement and coordination is needed, as are mechanisms to engage and empower local authorities, community leaders, and farmers in local surveillance systems. Future policy research should assess the evolution of OH policy networks to inform sustainable collaboration strategies.
Poma et al. (Wed,) studied this question.