# Safeguarding future generations: a One Health perspective on children, climate change, and infectious threats

## TL;DR

This paper explores how children are uniquely affected by climate change and infectious diseases through a One Health approach, emphasizing the need for child-centered strategies to protect future generations.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a child-centered lens within the One Health framework to address the intersection of AMR, climate change, and infectious diseases.

## Key findings

- Children face disproportionate exposure to resistant pathogens and climate-sensitive hazards.
- The review highlights gaps in child-specific surveillance and policy in low- and middle-income countries.
- Integrating a child-focused approach can strengthen health systems and promote equity.

## Abstract

The One Health approach recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, offering a critical framework for addressing complex global health challenges. Children occupy a uniquely vulnerable position within this paradigm due to their physiological immaturity, developmental sensitivity, behavioral exposures, and dependence on surrounding ecosystems. This narrative review examines how major contemporary threats—antimicrobial resistance (AMR), climate change, and emerging infectious diseases—intersect to shape child health outcomes within a One Health perspective. We synthesize evidence from human, animal, and environmental health domains to illustrate how children are disproportionately exposed to resistant pathogens, climate-sensitive hazards, and zoonotic and vector-borne infections. Particular attention is given to pediatric and neonatal AMR, climate-related impacts on physical and mental health, and the expanding geographic range of vector-borne diseases affecting children. The review highlights how factors such as antibiotic use in humans and animals, environmental contamination, urbanization, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather events converge to amplify risks during critical developmental windows. We identify major gaps in child-specific surveillance, integrated research, and policy implementation, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We argue that embedding a child-centered lens within One Health research, governance, and interventions is essential to protect current and future generations. Advancing such an integrated approach can enhance prevention, strengthen health system resilience, and promote equity in an era of escalating ecological and infectious threats.