India to envision One Health movement for confronting emerging health threats: From concept to approach toward institutionalization

Prejit Nambiar

doi:10.14202/ijoh.2020.165-176

Abstract

The author's key role in advocating and leading One Health (OH) initiatives in India (especially in Kerala), review the need for and progress of OH from concept to approach and proposes its institutionalization as the way forward. India is currently facing many health threats such as antimicrobial resistance, environmental health hazards, and food safety risks and most importantly, zoonotic diseases such as Nipah, Avian Influenza, Scrub typhus, Congo fever, Kyasanur forest disease, COVID-19, and leptospirosis that grossly impact country's economy. The recent pandemics had exposed the gaps in public health policy and government is prepared to commit on the OH approach and to invest more on public health infrastructure. Further, as challenges have increased in recent years, OH approach was clearly advocated by the experts not only to cope up the pandemic but also to manage the infodemic by promoting the timely dissemination of accurate information. Right from the endorsement of OH in 2007 by India's Prime minister to the present fight against COVID-19 pandemic, the actions to control and manage the disease was ideally oriented toward a collaborative approach. Last year (2019), the representatives from relevant ministries and department had a ground-breaking dialog to develop charter and constitute a National policy on OH. Recently, Health Ministers of the Member States of the World Health Organization South-East Asia signed "Delhi declaration" where the key essence was to implement intersectoral coordination mechanisms following the "OH" approach. India's future policy intervention will emphasize on strengthening of integrated public health labs and contributing to building a national institutional platform for OH to boost research initiatives. Taking stock of OH happenings, resources, challenges, and priorities, the implementation strategy has been proposed across human, animal and environmental health. The article further highlights the key areas that need OH intervention in India, the country's progress in OH and the success stories of OH for a sustainable action to confront emerging health threats.

Highlights

The author’s key role in advocating and leading One Health (OH) initiatives in India, review the need for and progress of OH from concept to approach and proposes its institutionalization as the way forward
“One Health (OH) is a validated, integrated, and holistic approach that is being advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) for combating health threats to humans and animals through human-animal-plant-environment interface” [1]
This workshop will be a useful tool for implementing OH as it provides an opportunity to the human and animal health services to build on the reviews of performance, gaps, and discussions for improvement conducted in their respective sectors, and to explore options for improved coordination between the sectors, to jointly strengthen their preparedness for, and control of the spread of zoonotic diseases [57]

Summary

Introduction

“One Health (OH) is a validated, integrated, and holistic approach that is being advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) for combating health threats to humans and animals through human-animal-plant-environment interface” [1]. The Human Health Sector conducted fever surveillance, vaccination (ensuring that all risk groups are vaccinated), designing treatment protocols, inpatient care and expert treatment, sample collection for diagnosis, liaison building with laboratories for prompt result communications, close surveillance to rule out relapsing, create disease awareness, insecticide dusting at monkey death areas, lead and coordinate activities with other relevant departments, and daily/weekly reporting the disease status to district administrator. The Animal Health Sector coordinated with other relevant departments for swift action to cull all chickens, ducks, and other domestic birds in and around 1 km radius of epicenter, droppings, feed and other materials of the birds were destroyed, 24-h control rooms were set up, distributed protective clothing to public in the affected areas, conducting awareness camps, monitoring of the dead birds in water bodies and dead birds lying unnoticed in the fields, surveillance around 10 km of the areas from where the mass death of birds had been reported, and surveillance in all other districts of Kerala with special importance to places where migratory birds are present and research on migratory birds. Advisory services for livestock farmers, Vigilant Animal care, and management

F orest and other allied departments

Conclusion

Findings

Disclosure statement