User:Acarmichael417/Conservation Medicine

Article Draft
(the current wikipedia page is the same as another page about conservation biology on a different website, so i drafted a new page which is similar to the current page, and will weave them together later to avoid plagiarism of that other website)

Lead
A physician in the 1800s, Rudolf Virchow, once said "between animal and human medicine, there is no dividing line- nor should there be". The intersection of the health of animals, humans, and their environment has been an area of discussion since then. Conservation medicine is the study of how the health of humans, animals, and the environment are interconnected. It is also known as planetary health, environmental medicine, medical geology, or ecological medicine. It is an emerging field that advocates for the protection and conservation of the planet, and therefore, the health of the humans, animals, and organisms that it supports.

Prevalence
The idea of conservation medicine was first described in the 1990s with the recognition of the impact human population, environmental degradation, illegal hunting, and biodiversity loss contributed to the health of wildlife populations in Africa. While the initial discovery of conservation medicine focused on health of wildlife populations, it became apparent that human health is also impacted by animals and the environment as humans became more aware of zoonotic diseases. Diseases that spread between animals and humans such as certain strains of the flu, salmonellosis, West Nile virus, the plague, coronaviruses (severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)), rabies, brucellosis, and Lyme disease are among the few human diseases prevalent in the United States that have are connected to the environment or animal health. As of 2023, up to 70% of emerging infectious diseases (EID) originate from animals, which has brought the concept of conservation medicine to the forefront of current ideas in healthcare.

History and One Health
Since the emergence of the idea of conservation medicine, many human physicians and veterinarians have adopted the initiative titled One Health. One Health evolved from the early idea of One Medicine, which was developed by veterinary communities as early as the 1900s. Originally, One Health solely promoted the interconnectedness of animal health and human health, and failed to recognize the role of the ecosystem's health in the health and wellbeing of animals and humans. However, One Health is now a recognized and valued approach to optimize the health of people, animals, and the environment, and has been adopted by a multitude of organizations and governing bodies to guide their work in protecting global health. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) utilize the One Health approach to better understand and mitigate threats to human health. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) utilizes the One Health approach to improve animal health across the globe through advocacy and the spread of veterinary information. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlights their use of One Health to protect the environment stating "when we protect one, we protect all".

The concept of conservation medicine utilizes a One Health approach, and specifically works to decrease disease and health risks humans and animals experience due to the degradation of the natural environment.

Conservation Projects
Lemur Conservation (sharon)

Turtle conservation (sharon)

Activists and Organizations
One Health, One Medicine, or Planetary Health

=== National Marine Mammal Foundation ===

Citations I Haven't Added Yet:
Kaufman (Designing conservation biology graduate programs)

Aguirre (Conservation medicine: ecological health in practice)