India takes steps to mitigate infection risks from human-animal interface
India is establishing a pioneering nationwide animal vaccine supply chain management system, which will mitigate growing risks from human-animal interface, WAM reports.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) towards this goal has been signed between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in New Delhi.
India’s animal census lists 535 million farm animals and 851 million poultry population, one of the biggest in the world. With a human population of around 1.4 billion, the risks of diseases spreading from animals to humans is a growing problem.
Alka Upadhyay, Secretary of the Department of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, said at the signing ceremony of the MoU that catering veterinary services to the doorstep of farmers and ensuring the nutritional security of India’s large population is a huge challenge.
Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative in India, said that “amid the confluence of frequent zoonotic disease outbreaks and climate change, animals and the communities engaged in rearing them are increasingly vulnerable.”
Wiesen said the MoU will “support India’s first national level animal vaccine supply chain management system, ensuring that communities and animals are protected, further mitigating the risks at the human-animal-environment interface.”
Zoonotic diseases are infections that can be transmitted naturally from animals to humans or from humans to animals.
Sarita Chauhan, Joint Secretary in the Indian Ministry, explained that it will soon be possible, with the help of new age technology and artificial intelligence developed by the UNDP, “to manage and deliver vaccines across India in the right quantity, right quality, at the right time and right temperature with supportive supervision.”
The Indian government’s Press Information Bureau said in a readout of the signing of the MoU that “this collaboration marks a significant step towards enhancing animal health and husbandry practices in India, leveraging the UNDP's global expertise and the Ministry's mandate.”
