Government of India and World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Collaborate to Strengthen One Health Approach for Pandemic Preparedness

Source: The post is based on the article “Government of India and World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Collaborate to Strengthen One Health Approach for Pandemic Preparedness”  published in PIB on 14th September 2023

What is the News?

The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying in partnership with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has organized a multi-sectoral workshop “Risk-based management of spillover events in wildlife in India” at Hyderabad.

What is One Health approach?

One Health is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes. 

The One Health approach is critical to addressing health threats in the animal-human-environment interface.

The areas of work in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include: food safety, control of zoonotic diseases, laboratory services, neglected tropical diseases, environmental health and antimicrobial resistance.

WHO is a member of the One Health Quadripartite along with the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health and United Nations Environment Programme. 

The 4 organizations work together to promote multi-sectoral responses to public health threats originating in the animal-human-environment interface and to provide technical advice on how to reduce these risks.

What are the initiatives taken by India on One Health approach?

Standing Committee on Zoonoses: It was established in 2006 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).The purpose of this committee was to provide the Union and the State governments guidance and recommendations on challenges related to zoonoses.

Consortium on One Health: The Department of Biotechnology launched India’s first consortium on One Health in October 2021. It brings together 27 organizations from several ministries and plans to assess the burden of five transboundary animal diseases and 10 select zoonotic diseases. 

One Health pilot project: In 2022, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy (DAHD) – in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Confederation of Indian Industry has launched One Health pilot project in Karnataka and Uttarakhand. 

– This initiative intends to strengthen intersectoral collaborations through capacity-building, with the goal of improving livestock health, human health, wildlife health, and environmental health.

India is also currently preparing for a wider ‘National One Health Mission’ to be spearheaded by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor.The idea behind this mission is to coordinate, support, and integrate all existing One Health initiatives in the country.