On the occasion of the 6th International One Health Day on November 3, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, held a stakeholder forum on the theme of Industry and One Health. The day aims to focus on interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary efforts, as well as multi-sectoral cooperation as an integral part of the implementation of one health concept.
Highlights
One Health is a collaborative, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary approach that works at the regional, regional, national, and global levels. The goal is to achieve optimal health results by recognizing the relationships between people, animals, plants, and their common environment. Areas of work include food safety, fighting zoonotic diseases (disease that can be transmitted between animals and humans such as rabies, influenza and rift valley fever), and fighting antibiotic resistance when the bacteria change and become more difficult after exposure to antibiotics.
Need for One Health approach
As animal-human connections grow, there is a risk of zoonotic diseases, which can have devastating social and economic implications. Humans and animals share many microbes with the ecosystems in which they live, so efforts by just one sector cannot prevent or eliminate the problem. For example, human rabies can only be effectively prevented by targeting the animal source of the virus (for example, vaccination of dogs). Information about influenza viruses prevalent in animals is important in selecting viruses for human vaccines against potential pandemic influenza. The One Health Framework assists in predicting, early detection, tracking, prevention and control of public health challenges and emergencies, including zoonotic and outbreaks of endemic disease.
Efforts needed to achieve One Health approach
Experts from a variety of disciplines, including public health, animal health, plant health, and the environment, need to work together to support a one-health approach. Epidemiological and laboratory data need to be shared between sectors to effectively identify, address and prevent zoonotic diseases and food safety issues. Government officials, researchers and workers in all local, national, regional and world-class sectors need to implement a joint response to health threats. Drug-resistant microorganisms can be transmitted between animals and humans through direct contact between animals and humans or through contaminated food. A well-coordinated approach to humans and animals is needed to effectively contain them. The country?s Prime Minister Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana should use one health as a basic principle in the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic.
One Health and India
In May 2019, the Government of India established a national expert group on “One Health” as an interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary cooperation group. This establishment is a step towards accelerating one health efforts.
