Strengthening Animal Health Security: India’s $25-Million Pandemic Fund to Tackle Zoonotic Diseases

Strengthening Animal Health Security: India’s $25-Million Pandemic Fund to Tackle Zoonotic Diseases

Sub : Sci

Sec :Human health

Why in News

The Government of India, in collaboration with international organizations like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has launched a $25-million G-20 pandemic fund project. The project is focused on strengthening animal health security, enhancing zoonotic disease monitoring, and building a resilient framework for pandemic preparedness.

$25 Million G20 Pandemic Fund Project:

Established under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022, the initiative specifically targets improving the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to respond to animal disease outbreaks that pose pandemic risks.

Implementing Entities: Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Primary Goal: Enhance countries’ capabilities to prevent, detect, and respond to zoonotic diseases, reducing the risk of pandemics.

Significance: Five of the six public health emergencies declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) were of animal origin. Previous outbreaks like SARS and Avian Flu have caused substantial global economic losses, estimated at $50 billion and $30 billion, respectively, highlighting the need for robust animal health systems to mitigate such impacts.

Global Health Security Index: India scored 42.8 on the Global Health Security Index, indicating high environmental risks and public health vulnerabilities.

Key Components of the Project:

Upgrading and expanding animal health labs across the country to facilitate early detection and diagnosis of zoonotic diseases.

Introducing genomic and environmental surveillance to detect zoonotic diseases early, preventing their spread to humans.

Strengthening partnerships with neighbouring countries to improve the monitoring and management of zoonotic diseases, recognizing the transnational nature of these pathogens.

Upgrading data management systems and enhancing analytics capabilities to facilitate better risk assessment and decision-making.

Developing a disaster management framework specifically for the livestock sector, aiding in effective response to zoonotic outbreaks.

What are Zoonotic Diseases?

Zoonosis refers to the transmission of diseases between animals and humans. Such diseases are termed Zoonotic Diseases.

Zoonotic diseases range from mild to severe, while in extreme cases can even be fatal.

Zoonoses may be bacterial, viral, or parasitic, or may even involve unconventional agents for the transmission of the disease.

WHO in 1959 defined Zoonoses as “those diseases and infections which are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and man.”

World Zoonoses Day is observed every year on July 6 to create awareness on zoonotic diseases, how to prevent them, and what actions to take when exposed.

COVID -19 is an example of a zoonotic disease which broke out in China’s Wuhan district in December 2019.

Impact of Climate Change: Climate change has intensified the risks and occurrences of zoonotic diseases in India. Diseases carried by mosquito species like Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are becoming more prevalent, raising health concerns.