The devastating COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years has made One Health a trending philosophy not only as a regional and national initiative but also as transboundary efforts calling for multilateral cooperations. Mwatondo et al. presented One Health Networks in a recent article published in The Lancet, calling for further promotion of the One Health approach[1]. Likewise, recent studies in developing countries described the rapid adoption of One Health concepts globally and the major advances in practice of One Health in the past two decades[2-4]. In this perspective, we highlight a pilot One Health program China spearheaded by the World Bank and the provincial government of Hainan. This pilot program aims to boost our awareness of preventing and combating emerging infectious diseases using the One Health approach[5]. Hainan, the southernmost province in China of tropical climate, has recently been designated by the Central Government as an province-wide free trade port, similar to Hong Kong and Singapore, and is expected to rapidly transition from a dormant tourist attraction to an international hub of commerce. The World Bank Hainan initiative will fund collaborative scientific projects on emerging infectious disease surveillance and prevention including sentinel surveillance of zoonotic diseases, active surveillance of antibiotic resistance patterns, monitoring and mitigating the impacts of climate change on health, and food security. The initiative also facilitates government interagency coordination, and reform of existing governance mechanisms in pursuit of One Health objectives. The efforts are also supported by the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Organization for Animal Health. Presently, Hainan Province is building a "One Health" system in institutional and mechanism innovation, interdisciplinary collaborative research, talent training, and international cooperation. Hainan has by far conducted various cooperation projects with domestic and international universities, and established a think tank of more than 100 renowned experts across the globe, and two cooperation organizations of One Health. As part of the World Bank Hainan initiative and the first academic journal in the field of One Health in China, One Health Bulletin was launched with an aim to expand interdisciplinary collaboration and communication on human, animal and environmental health. We intend to disseminate the latest research findings on public health policies, emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and security, biosafety and biosecurity, environmental health, management and early warning, etc. As mapped out in the One Health initiative, research platforms on animal-derived food safety, full-chain bacterial resistance, new drug creation technology and product research and development are to be set up by 2025. A risk-based monitoring system for zoonotic diseases and other health threats, and a One Health data collecting and exchanging platform will also be established. Concurrently, the initiative will continue to strengthen the emergency response capacity of medical institutions, establish a control mechanism for antibiotics misuse and overuse as well as One Health environmental programs, and prevent the cross-border spread of epidemics. As a demonstrative area of One Health practice, Hainan will share the stories of One Health solutions and best practices nationwide and worldwide.
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