[Answered] Highlight the need to create greater collaborations and synergies between research on human health and animal health. Also, discuss the measures taken by the government in this regard.

The concept of animal health covers animal diseases, as well as the interplay between animal welfare, human health, environment protection and food safety. Although not all animal diseases are directly harmful to humans, they can have significant socioeconomic consequences as occupations and lives of some people are dependent on animal health.

Need to create synergies between research on human and animal health:

• Increased animal husbandry: India has a livestock population of 1.6 billion and approximately 280 million farmers rely on livestock and related industries for livelihood. In the current atmosphere of climate change and unpredictable weather, animal husbandry assumes significance as a source of reliable income for farmers.
• Trade volume: The dairy industry in the country is valued at $160 billion, while the meat industry is valued at $50 billion.
• Wildlife Protection: Livestock and related activities have significant overlap with wildlife and humans.
• Increase in Zoonotic disease: The world witnessed around 9,580 instances of disease outbreaks from 2000 to 2010, of which 60% of diseases were zoonotic in nature.
• Economic loss: In India, the annual outbreak of zoonotic diseases translates into an estimated annual loss of $12 billion to the economy.

Measures taken by the government:

• The department of Animal Husbandryhas been working towards increased investment in preparedness to protect health and building economic resilience so that India could become a world leader in animal pandemic preparedness.
• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD)has set up a dedicated ‘One Health Unit’, to create an “animal pandemic preparedness” model for storage and seamless exchange of data and information on livestock health. This will be implemented through the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM).
• Companies can now avail of incentives for setting up or expansion of animal vaccines and related infrastructure under the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Fund.
• DAHD in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), and others has set up an Empowered Committee for Animal Healthto streamline the animal health regulatory ecosystem in the country.
• Within the framework of the NDLM, all the animal disease diagnostic labs involved in sero-surveillance have been linked through a single portal.

A successful animal pandemic preparedness model would entail seamless coordination with critical ecosystem partners to ensure timely and successful development of animal drugs and vaccines. Close collaboration is needed between veterinary science and human health experts to forge effective tools for pandemic preparedness.