Parshottam Rupala to Launch Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative Under National One Health Mission Tomorrow

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has signed an agreement with the World Bank to collaborate on the Animal Health System Support for One Health (AHSSOH), which aims to develop an environment for a better animal health management system using the One Health concept. The initiative will be executed in five states, with the goal of increasing the ability of stakeholders involved in animal health and disease management.

The initiative will be executed in five states, with the goal of increasing the ability of stakeholders involved in animal health and disease management. Human Health, Forest, and Environment Departments are encouraged to participate in the project at the national, regional, and local levels in order to create and strengthen the One Health architecture, which includes community engagement.

The project will target the upgrading of 75 district/regional laboratories, the upgrading/strengthening of 300 veterinary hospitals/dispensaries, and the training of 9000 para-veterinarians/diagnostic professionals and 5500 veterinary professionals. In addition to the foregoing, a community-wide awareness programme on zoonotic disease prevention and pandemic preparedness was launched, reaching out to six lakh households.

The joint project would be implemented as a Central sector initiative over a five-year period with a financial provision of Rs. 1228.70 Cr. Aside from networking laboratories and integrating disease reporting systems for enhanced surveillance of zoonotic and other animal diseases, the project will create an ecosystem for continuous training of veterinarians and para-veterinarians on innovative disease management practises. These fundamental efforts will aid in the preparation for pandemic diseases that affect animals.

The only way to safeguard ourselves from future pandemics is to adopt a "One Health" strategy that prioritises the health of people, animals, and the environment.

Strong animal health systems are critical components of the One Health strategy, supporting food security and the livelihoods of impoverished farmers while reducing the risk of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), zoonoses, and AMR. It is possible to do this through One Health efforts that prioritize animal health systems with a focus on and correct investment in upgrading national veterinary services with insufficient manpower and facilities, as well as disease surveillance at critical sites such as border areas.

The National One Health Mission prioritizes preparedness for future animal pandemics. As part of the impending National One Health Mission, the Department has created the "Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (APPI)" to prepare for future animal pandemics and epidemics.

The following are the primary activities under APPI that are in various levels of completion:

• Defined joint investigation and outbreak response teams (National & state)

• Design an overall integrated disease surveillance system (built on National Digital Livestock Mission)

• Strengthening the Regulatory system (e.g., Nandi online portal and Field trial guidelines)

• Creating disease modelling algorithms and early warning systems

• Strategizing Disaster Mitigation with National Disaster Management Authority

• Initiate targeted R&D to develop vaccines/diagnostics/therapies for priority diseases

• Build genomic and environmental surveillance methods to improve the timeliness and sensitivity of disease detection