Pashujanya Yudh Abhyas (PYA)

About Pashujanya Yudh Abhyas (PYA)

• Pashujanya Yudh Abhyas (PYA) is the third national-level mock drill under the National One Health Mission to strengthen India’s preparedness for animal health emergencies and zoonotic disease outbreaks.
  
• Aim: It aimed to test and validate the country’s preparedness, coordination mechanisms, and emergency response capabilities for managing animal health emergencies arising from zoonotic disease outbreaks.
• Conducted by: It has been conducted by the  Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
• Duration: It is a 5-day-long exercise held at Khari village, Vidisha District, Madhya Pradesh, from 29^th June to 3^rd July 2026. 
• Participants:
  • It involved the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), ICAR, NCDC, ICMR, the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, laboratories under the National BSL-3 Network and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
  • It also included State and District Animal Husbandry, Health, and Forest Departments, and the administration of Madhya Pradesh.
• Features:
  • It brought together stakeholders from the animal health, human health, wildlife, food safety, laboratory and district administration.
  • It was designed to assess operational readiness, intersectoral coordination and communication, and mechanisms for managing a zoonotic disease outbreak from first alert to containment.
  • The exercise simulated an Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak in animals with the potential to spread to humans and wildlife. It tested the complete outbreak response system, including surveillance, early detection, investigation, laboratory testing, risk assessment, containment measures, movement control, and public communication.
• Significance: The exercise provided valuable insights to inform future strategies for strengthening India’s preparedness and response to zoonotic disease outbreaks.