On 8 November 2025, the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto celebrated, for the fifth consecutive year, the International One Health Day, promoting activities for all ages that explored health in an integrated way across the environment, plants, animals and people. The event combined hands-on workshops, scientific presentations and a multidisciplinary round table.
The activities for younger participants included observing parasites under the microscope, exploring beach pollution and understanding the impact of the environment on health. Carolina, aged 10, who took part in the workshop “Discovering Zoonotic Diseases”, said: “I really enjoyed seeing the parasites under the microscope and understanding how they affect our health. It was fun to learn while doing the experiments.”
For adults, the session “The Future of Science: One Health in Action” featured research on the microbiome of dogs with cancer, the effects of noise on people with autism and schizophrenia, the impact of climate change on the viability of limpets, and nursing care in adventure sports.
The event concluded with a round table on urban health, where specialists from various fields reflected on habitability, air quality, life with companion animals and urban pests. For Adriano A. Bordalo e Sá, coordinator of the ICBAS One Health Office, this edition was “a clear success”, strengthening scientific literacy and the understanding that human, animal and environmental health are deeply interconnected.
Images: ICBAS
Read the UP News article here.
