ECAH's 8th Meeting Strengthens Animal Health with New Vaccines Digital Mission and One Health Initiatives

The 8th meeting of the Empowered Committee for Animal Health (ECAH) was held on October 28, 2024, at Vigyan Bhawan. The meeting was presided over by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, with Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), serving as the vice-chair. Key stakeholders, including representatives from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), attended the meeting to discuss advancements in India’s animal health sector.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) presented an overview of its regulatory initiatives for streamlining animal drugs, vaccines, biologicals, and feed additives. Significant progress was reported in vaccination programs for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), and Classical Swine Fever (CSF), all under the fully centrally funded Livestock Health & Disease Control Program (LH&DCP). These vaccines, developed and manufactured domestically, underscore India’s self-sufficiency in animal health.

The committee was also updated on the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM), which has already scaled up to process over 16 transactions every second. The mission’s goal is to digitally track all livestock health metrics, from vaccinations to treatments, fostering transparency and efficiency across India’s animal husbandry sector.

A major highlight was the focus on the One Health Mission, under which a nationwide mock drill for animal disease response is planned to enhance preparedness. Prof. Sood lauded the recent G-20 Pandemic Fund Project, a USD 25 million initiative that aims to bolster laboratory capacities, improve disease surveillance, and fortify human resource training for better resilience. Alongside, The Standard Veterinary Treatment Guidelines (SVTG) and a Crisis Management Plan (CMP) for animal diseases were introduced to standardize animal health response protocols.

The ECAH also reviewed the recently released Poultry Disease Action Plan, which emphasizes biosecurity, vaccination protocols, and enhanced surveillance to prevent outbreaks like the High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) seen in Kerala. Revised compensation rates for poultry culling were shared with all states to mitigate economic impacts.

International recognition was also given to Indian labs, with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) naming ICAR-NIVEDI in Bangalore as a reference lab for PPR and Leptospirosis, a milestone that follows earlier recognitions of ICAR-NIHSAD in Bhopal and KVFSU in Bangalore.