One Health activities to reinforce intersectoral coordination at local levels in India

Abstract

India's dense human and animal populations, agricultural economy, changing environment, and social dynamics support conditions for emergence/re-emergence of zoonotic diseases that necessitate a One Health (OH) approach for control. In addition to OH national level frameworks, effective OH driven strategies that promote local intersectoral coordination and collaboration are needed to truly address zoonotic diseases in India. We conducted a literature review to assess the landscape of OH activities at local levels in India that featured intersectoral coordination and collaboration and supplemented it with our own experience conducting OH related activities with local partners. We identified key themes and examples in local OH activities. Our landscape assessment demonstrated that intersectoral collaboration primarily occurs through specific research activities and during outbreaks, however, there is limited formal coordination among veterinary, medical, and environmental professionals on the day-to-day prevention and detection of zoonotic diseases at district/sub-district levels in India. Examples of local OH driven intersectoral coordination include the essential role of veterinarians in COVID-19 diagnostics, testing of human samples in veterinary labs for Brucella and leptospirosis in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, respectively, and implementation of OH education targeted to school children and farmers in rural communities. There is an opportunity to strengthen local intersectoral coordination between animal, human and environmental health sectors by building on these activities and formalizing the existing collaborative networks. As India moves forward with broad OH initiatives, OH networks and experience at the local level from previous or ongoing activities can support implementation from the ground up.

One Health in practice: Benefits and challenges of multisectoral coordination and collaboration in managing public health risks: A meta-analysis

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The Past, Present, and Future of One Health in India: A Narrative Review

“…Therefore, there is a need to deliver a zoonotic or OH outreach to the communities, including school children. Engagement of various community health cadres like ASHA workers and Male Multipurpose Health workers from Ahmedabad expressed little interest in working for OH initiatives because of the low financial assistance, recognition, and support [ 30 ].…”

Awareness and Community Engagement in Zoonotic Disease Management

“…Community beliefs and awareness of zoonotic diseases can influence preventive and control efforts (Owiny et al 2023). Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease that spreads through direct contact with infectious secretions from primates as well as person-to-person transmission (Tajudeen et al 2023). Common mechanisms of transmission for intestinal pathogenic zoonotic diseases include fecal-oral transmission, contaminated food or water, and person-to-person contact (Capasso and Supuran 2023).…”