Brief Context
In News The National One Health Mission Assembly 2025 showcased India’s integrated approach to health security under the theme “One Earth, One Health, One Future.” One Health The ‘One Health’ approach integrates the health of people, animals and the environment It is crucial for addressing complex health challenges such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and food safety.
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Syllabus: GS2/Health
In News
- The National One Health Mission Assembly 2025 showcased India’s integrated approach to health security under the theme “One Earth, One Health, One Future.”
| National One Health Assembly 2025 – It is being hosted by the Department of Health Research (DHR) under the aegis of the National One Health Mission. – It brings together ministries, departments, academicians and experts to highlight India’s leadership in the One Health approach. |
One Health
- The ‘One Health’ approach integrates the health of people, animals and the environment
- It is crucial for addressing complex health challenges such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and food safety.
Need and Objectives
- India has one of the world’s largest livestock populations, diverse wildlife, and a dense human population, making it highly prone to cross-sectoral disease transmission.
- Outbreaks like COVID-19, Avian Influenza, and Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle highlight the interconnectedness of health sectors.
- One Health ensures holistic governance, collaboration, and communication, enabling better preparedness against pandemics and safeguarding food security, livelihoods, and biodiversity.
Key Challenges
- Health, agriculture, environment, and wildlife sectors often work in silos.
- Limited surveillance systems for zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
- Resource constraints in rural and peri-urban areas where human-animal interactions are intense.
- Unilateral trade measures (e.g., carbon border mechanisms) and global inequities can undermine fairness in implementing One Health strategies.
Steps Taken in India
- National One Health Mission (2021) proposed to institutionalize cross-sectoral coordination for zoonotic disease prevention.
- Ayushman Bharat & eSanjeevani telemedicine platforms Expanding access to healthcare, including preventive services.
- Mission Indradhanush strengthening immunization campaigns to reduce disease burden.
- The government released the BSL-3 Laboratory Network SOP Compendium to standardize high-containment lab practices.
Way Ahead
- One Health is vital for India’s resilience, requiring a national framework, stronger surveillance, and capacity-building across health sectors.
- It calls for community awareness, use of advanced technologies for outbreak prediction, and global cooperation to ensure equitable access to finance, technology, and resources for developing countries.
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