Establishment of a One Health Surveillance Initiative in the CA/Baja CA Border Region

Introduction The CA/BC border region encompasses a wide range of ecosystems, topography, dense urban areas, and agricultural developments that coexist in a limited geographic area and create numerous humananimal-environmental interfaces. The region is recognized for its high biodiversity, the presence of over 85 endangered plant and animal species, its importance on the Pacific migratory pathway, high levels of population mobility, and hosts the busiest international border in the world. These interfaces pose a significant risk to animal, human, and environmental health, as evidenced by frequent wildlife die offs, antibiotic resistant bacteria in streams, beach closures due to fecal contamination, pesticide toxicities, zoonotic infectious disease outbreaks, and vector borne diseases. In the marked absence of any organization comprehensively addressing the health risks posed by these complex interfaces and recognizing that these issues necessitate a binational, cross-sectoral One Health approach, the Early Warning Infectious Disease Surveillance Program (EWIDS) founded One Border One Health (OBOH) in 2011. OBOH recognizes that early warning systems should systematically monitor animal, human, and environmental health and that early detection is key to control. Hence OBOH’s primary aim is to create and integrate early warning surveillance systems that gather data from disparate sources in order to protect and improve animal, human, and environmental health. This information can be used to inform decision makers about important public health events in the CA/BC border region.