Optimizing Vaccine Deployment for Zoonotic Disease Prevention: A One Health Comparison

University of California, San Diego, Public Health. 9500 Gliman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States of America

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Abstract

Vaccination is one of the few interventions capable of acting before zoonotic diseases become established in human populations. However, its value in preventing zoonotic diseases cannot be inferred solely from the innovativeness of the platform or its efficacy in a single host. Existing reviews tend to list pathogens or vaccine technologies, but pay little attention to how vaccines should be deployed across different zoonotic disease systems. This review adopts a comparative ‘One Health’ perspective to address this issue. Using rabies, brucellosis, Rift Valley fever and Nipah virus infection as case studies, it examines how host ecology, transmission structures and operational constraints influence vaccine deployment. Key directions within these systems should focus on identifying areas where risk is maintained and areas where risk is amplified, thereby adjusting strategies, as well as determining which deployment approaches are most likely to reduce zoonotic spillover. This paper does not propose a universal model, but argues that vaccination strategies must be tailored to the key constraints within each system, including sustained source control, surveillance compatibility, timely interventions, and preparedness for rare but severe spillover events. The public health value of vaccination depends on its alignment with the system.