11 Apr One Health approach
THIS ARTICLE COVERS ‘DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS’ AND THE TOPIC DETAILS “ONE HEALTH APPROACH”. THIS TOPIC IS RELEVANT IN THE “SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE” SECTION OF GS1 AND GS2 THE UPSC CSE EXAM.
Why in the news?
The Union Cabinet has given the green light to establish a pivotal role at the Scientist H level, at the National Institute of One Health in Nagpur. This individual will play a dual role, serving not only as the Director of the institute but also as the Mission Director for the National One Health Mission.
National One health mission
The concept of One Health serves as a unifying force, bringing together various sectors to tackle health, productivity, and conservation challenges. In the context of India, with its rich biodiversity, vast livestock population, and dense human habitation, the importance of One Health becomes even more pronounced.
The country faces heightened risks of disease transmission across different compartments. The COVID-19 pandemic, recent outbreaks like Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle, and the persistent threat of Avian Influenza underscore the need to address health issues not just from a human-centric perspective (zoonosis), but also from the angles of livestock and wildlife.
Embracing One Health presents an opportunity to harness the complementary strengths inherent in each sector, enabling the development of integrated, resilient, and responsive systems to effectively combat emerging health challenges.
As part of the mission’s initiatives, a nationwide network of high-risk pathogen laboratories, categorized as Biosafety level 3 (BSL 3) and Biosafety level 4 (BSL 4), has been established. This will enhance the effectiveness of disease outbreak response efforts across human, animal, and environmental sectors.
By fostering better connectivity, the network will enable more efficient responses to complex disease scenarios, such as Nipah virus outbreaks involving bats, pigs, and humans.
Need for NHOM
- Health Interdependence: Human, animal, plant, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. Diseases can traverse species boundaries, affecting both humans and animals, with environmental factors playing a pivotal role in disease emergence and spread.
- Rise of Infectious Diseases: The emergence of new infectious diseases and the resurgence of existing ones pose significant threats to public health, food security, and economic stability. Tackling these challenges necessitates a comprehensive, coordinated approach that encompasses all facets of health.
- Zoonotic Threats: Infectious diseases like COVID-19, Ebola, and avian influenza often originate in animals before jumping to humans. A One Health strategy is indispensable for early detection, prevention, and control of such zoonotic diseases at their source.
- Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: The rampant misuse and overuse of antibiotics in both humans and animals fuel the alarming rise of antimicrobial resistance. Implementing One Health interventions is critical to promoting judicious antibiotic usage and combating the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
- Environmental Impact: Environmental degradation, encompassing activities like deforestation, habitat destruction, and climate change, disrupts ecosystems and heightens the risk of disease transmission between animals and humans. Preserving environmental health is pivotal for safeguarding the well-being of both human and animal populations.
- Food Safety Assurance: Guaranteeing the safety and security of the food supply chain mandates collaborative efforts across sectors. Addressing issues such as foodborne illnesses, contamination, and unsustainable agricultural practices is essential for protecting human and animal health alike.
Need for global cooperation
During India’s presidency of the G-20, the ‘One Health’ approach took center stage, garnering widespread support from all member nations. This collaborative effort emphasized specific objectives such as enhancing surveillance capabilities, bolstering analytical capacity, and establishing an international network of ‘One Health’ institutes.
‘One Health’ transcends mere disease management; it encompasses broader issues like antimicrobial resistance, food safety, plant health, and the profound impacts of climate change.
Interdisciplinary topics like ‘One Health’ necessitate active engagement not only from diverse governmental agencies but also from non-governmental organizations, academia, the private sector, and citizens alike.
By adopting an actionable framework centered around this approach, we can advance towards the shared vision of ‘One Earth, One Health’ and the universal aspiration of ‘Health for All’.
Twenty first century is marred with challenges such as Climate change, pandemics that are transboundary in nature and require global cooperation. In that context, One health approach is sine qua non for countries in order to solve these problem and can enhance cooperation.
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