ADVANCING THE ONE HEALTH APPROACH :
Assam’s first multi-stakeholder workshop on One Health organised
The workshop was attended by nearly 50 senior officials from various Government agencies such as the National One Health Mission, Government of India; Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, Department of Health, Department of Environment and Forests, State Disaster Management Agency and Assam Science Technology and Environment Council from the Government of Assam. Important inputs were shared by the College of Veterinary Sciences, Assam Agricultural University, Indian Council of Medical Research, Guwahati Medical College and several NGO partners in related fields like the Wildlife Trust of India, Aaranyak, Just be Friends and Action Northeast Trust.
The workshop, conducted through expert talks and an interactive group exercise among the participants, highlighted the risk of zoonotic disease transmission in Assam and Northeast India, issues related to the management of animal population, including monitoring of livestock health, the human health scenario with respect to disease transmission and the status of forest and wildlife health in Assam, with a focus on developing a One Health Roadmap for the State.
Shri M.S. Manivannan, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Assam, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, highlighted the increasing incidence of zoonotic disease outbreaks in the region, but limited knowledge on this domain among most stakeholders. He welcomed this platform for bringing different stakeholders together and offered support at the state government level to take the One Health approach forward in Assam.
Dr Vinay Gupta, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Assam, highlighted the State’s rich biodiversity and underlined the significance of forests and their fringes as key interface areas between animals, humans and the environment. Outlining the variety of zoonotic diseases that spread from animals to humans and from domestic to wild animals, he emphasised the importance of coordination among stakeholders to prevent and control zoonotic and transmissible diseases.
Shri Anil Chandra Deori, ACS, Director, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, stated that the state policies and strategies are to be aligned to work jointly with all relevant departments and agencies, providing the scope for community participation for effectively adopting the One Health approach.
Dr Sangeeta Agarwal, Scientist-F, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor, National One Health Mission, Government of India, outlined the mandate and activities of the National Mission with the audience. She further shared her insights on institutionalising a state-level One Health structure and an illustrative Proactive One Health Roadmap for Assam, covering pilot projects, stakeholder role definition, capacity building, joint surveillance, community engagement, and pandemic preparedness.
Dr Sejal Worah, Programme Director, WWF-India, said, “Given the increasing focus on One Health approaches globally and in India, it is timely for Assam to advance One Health implementation in collaboration and coordination with relevant stakeholders. We are excited to support the implementation of the One Health approach in Assam”.
Dr Dipankar Ghose, Senior Director, Biodiversity Conservation, WWF-India, added “WWF-India has been working on biodiversity conservation for decades and has supported wildlife monitoring and protection efforts, addressed human-wildlife conflict, secured connectivity in conservation landscapes, strengthened community stewardship for conservation action, and restored wildlife habitats. Healthy ecosystems contribute to the overall well-being of animals and humans, reducing the risk of diseases that arise at the human-animal-ecosystem interface. Thus, our efforts towards conservation of natural ecosystems are aligned with the One Health approach”.
The workshop provided a platform to bring together some of the major stakeholders to move forward with the approach of One Health in Assam. A significant takeaway from the meeting was the need to coordinate efforts and share knowledge since work is already being undertaken in this area in the State. As Assam has a rich biodiversity and is also located close to the international border, it is essential that the State constitutes a high-level coordination committee and put in place a One Health Action plan by adopting a multi-stakeholder and inclusive approach.
CONTACT: For more information, please contact Amit Sharma at amitsharma@wwfindia.net or call him at 9435015657.
NOTES
One health is an integrated, unifying approach that recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent, and aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems. The approach mobilises multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development (OHHLEP, 2021).
