Centre launches Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative

The Centre on Friday launched the ‘Animal Pandemic Preparedness Initiative’ (APPI) and the ‘Animal Health System Support for One Health’ to enhance India’s preparedness and response to potential animal pandemics and to control/ prevent zoonotic diseases transmitted from animals to humans.

“APPI aims to enhance the country’s preparedness and response to animal pandemics, with a focus on zoonotic diseases that pose a threat to both animal and human health. This initiative will help improve veterinary services and infrastructure, disease surveillance capabilities, early detection and response, build the capacity of animal health professionals, and awareness among farmers through community outreach,” an official statement said.

The government has also announced a Rs 1,228-crore World Bank-funded project ‘Animal Health System Support for One Health’ (AHSSOH) that aims to create an ecosystem for a better animal health management system using the One Health approach, initially covering five states – Assam, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

The AHSSOH project aims to strengthen 75 district laboratories, provide 100 mobile veterinary units in remote locations and high-risk areas, and upgrade 300 dispensaries and hospitals, besides training 5,500 veterinarians, as well as 9,000 private diagnostic professionals.

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Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, who launched both the initiatives, said: “India is home to a diverse animal species, and the livestock sector plays a critical role in the country’s economy and food security. However, we are vulnerable to threats posed by emerging and zoonotic diseases.

“The APPI is a proactive step to protect our animal resources and ensure the safety and health of our people. Both the programmes are part of comprehensive efforts to address animal pandemics in a holistic manner. By strengthening our animal health systems and implementing the One Health approach, we can better prevent and control zoonotic diseases, which not only impact the health and welfare of our animals, but also have significant economic impact and human health concerns.”

Minister of State of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, L Murugan, said the two initiatives are steps closer to addressing an animal pandemic and preparedness to handle any unknown infections in future. These programmes will also help promote sustainable and healthy fisheries, he added.

According to Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, various actions are to be coordinated, including strengthening disease surveillance, creating models for disease forewarning, improvingthe R&D ecosystem and diagnostic capacities, streamlining the regulatory ecosystem, providing better responses in the field and mobilising resources to develop a system to meet any pandemic-like exigency.

The key elements of APPI include integrated disease surveillance and monitoring, early warning and response, vaccine/ diagnostics, R&D and production and coordination with funding and regulatory framework enablers.