CDC uses a One Health approach by working with physicians, ecologists, and veterinarians to monitor and control public health threats. We do this by learning about how diseases spread among people, animals, and the environment. We need to prioritize locally prevalent diseases that might come under One Health approach. Once we identify them, we may work out on them further. 

In addition, National bodies such as ICMR, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare etc. need to push this approach justifying the need of it. Once it is documented to be useful either nationally or globally, a policy will be undertaken by the MoH, Govt. of India and State Health would follow the direction.

You are right Dr. Bharathy. About 70-80% of the human diseases is of from animal origin. To strenghthen this statement current year of world veterinary day theme is set as "Continuing education to achieve One Health". As a PhD scholar, I would like to give a small suggestion on this agenda. If Veterinary Public Health and Community medicine can be taught as a common subject  for both veterinary students and medical students together, then the importance and significance of emerging disease will be realised and this lay a foundation of working together from their college onwards. This will be our first step to work up on it and yet long way to go. 

Thanks Dr. Bharathy, in addition to what has been said above I would say that there is wide rift between the two disciplines from top to bottom. I wanted to do PH D in rabies from Vet college Palalampur but the prospectus said that only Vet graduate can do that. So our set up is like dividing the two than making them agree and converge at some point.

Also there is wide ego attitude not only among medical doctors but among Vets as well. When I say immunise puppies in India before three months of age or before bringing them home (as three of the deaths I investigated were from pup bite/ Scratch how were below 3 months of age) they refuse to do that as they say they follow CDC guidelines ( Where rabies is not endemic) ????.

I need to write a long essay on that but this is sufficient I hope/

Omesh

The One Health Initiative, link below, might help focus your discussion and provide guidance.  There is information there about a variety of diseases and information about journals and other resources.  I like the One Health approach and hope it can become more widely adopted in India, and everywhere!

http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/

Dr. Sarkar mentioned the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control) using a One Health approach so I thought I would include the link, and they have good information for everyone.  The American Veterinary Medical Association also covers the field from their perspective. 

http://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Reference/Pages/One-Health.aspx

It might be helpful if your Council could join the One Health Commission (link below) as that seems to be active and have a lot going on.  The other link is to One Health Global Network which does not seem to be as active, but it appears they do need some Asian representation in their Network.

https://www.onehealthcommission.org/

http://www.onehealthglobal.net/

Adding Dr. Robert's response, unless global network does not work actively, people will not be benefited to a great extent.  So it needs to be strengthened by identifying its weaknesses and rectifying them. First, country's own network needs to be established well, then regional and finally Global Network. 

Yes, there need to be political will for that.

Regards,

Omesh

To get political will, international & national health leaders need to talk to top political leaders to have a common understanding.  They need to be convinced that this is important for disease control.  

Yes, we are trying to do that in my state of Himachal and we have formed a informal research group on rabies that may be extended to zoonotic Tb and so on....

Thank You all for your valuable comments. As Omesh sir said there is ego problem still exist between Vets and medical doctors, unless they work and coordinate together we can't bring the ONE HEALTH concept in India. 

Good morning Ms. Sukumar,

I am not attempting to delve into issues of another country; we have more than enough to fix in the United States; and I have never been to India although I have had plenty of history classes about you wonderful nation. My feeling after serving 40 years in state government is you have a systems problem exacerbated by numerous issues I could not begin to understand. As I see it, when you have a systems problem, you have to fix the system before one can begin the arduous of changing attitudes building consensus, setting goals and effecting change. These are very difficult tasks anywhere!!! The biggest systems in any country are the military, central government, law enforcement and the judicial system. In America our presidents have often  had fact finding hearings, which gave everyone a concise list of the issues, possible resolutions/interventions. Often time our presidents have called for a Presidential Summit on a particular issue where leaders in a particular area/discipline  gather to look at issues, develop solutions, consider law introduction or changes, and develop patterns of communication and consensus. I can only very humbly suggest  that health issues do belong to the local, regional governments but also is within the scope of the central government and may be a the cite to develop/change/collaborate on issues concerning the public health.  I hope I have been some small help to you and your country....Tom

that is what I am trying to do here at state level in Himachal Pradesh and then build up the system allover India.

Interaction between medicos and vets should be increased in the way of organising awareness programmes about diseases of zoonotic importance. Awareness programmes should be continued with technical programmes later and more interrelated therapeutic approaches should be discussed. More common areas especially that of infertility and application of assisted reproductive technology will bring together the professionals.

thank you satheshkumar siundara panidan sir

What should we do to create a One Heath Institute in India that is connected to DBT, ICAR as well as ICMR so that everyone is on the same page?

I think there should be collaborative work of the following:

Key facts:

• According to the OIE, 60% of existing human infectious diseases are zoonotic i.e. they are transmitted from animals to humans; 75% of emerging infectious human diseases have an animal origin.
• Of the five new human diseases appearing every year, three originate in animals.
• 80% biological agents with potential bio-terrorist use are zoonotic pathogens.
• It is estimated that zoonotic diseases account for nearly two billion cases per year resulting in more than two million deaths — more than from HIV/AIDS and diarrhoea.
• One-fifth of premature deaths in poor countries are attributed to diseases transmitted from animals to humans.

Need of the hour:

• There is need for strengthening veterinary institutions and services.
• The most effective and economical approach is to control zoonotic pathogens at their animal source.
• It calls not only for close collaboration at local, regional and global levels among veterinary, health and environmental governance, but also for greater investment in animal health infrastructure.
• This calls for strict health surveillance to incorporate domestic animals, livestock and poultry too.
• Humans require a regular diet of animal protein. Thus, loss of food animals on account of poor health or disease too becomes a public health issue even though there may be no disease transmission, and we lose 20% of our animals this way.
• There could not be a stronger case for reinventing the entire animal husbandry sector to be able to reach every livestock farmer, not only for disease treatment but for prevention and surveillance to minimise the threat to human health.
• Early detection at animal source can prevent disease transmission to humans and introduction of pathogens into the food chain.
• So a robust animal health system is the first and a crucial step in human health.
• Disease surveillance has to go beyond humans and encompass preventive health and hygiene in livestock and poultry, improved standards of animal husbandry for greater food safety, and effective communication protocols between animal and public health systems.