The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations organized a one-day multisectoral experts workshop on animal health with a One Health approach on 14 March 2024 in Delhi. The meeting welcomed an esteemed gathering of over 60 participants, including experts from the animal, human, environment and wildlife sectors, donor agency – USAID, and the private sector.

In his welcome address, Mr Takayuki Hagiwara, the FAO Representative in India, underscored the noteworthy accomplishments of the FAO disease mitigation efforts and emphasized the criticality of public outreach and communication. He said, "A common programme should be initiated for One Health which is reflective of the challenges at the grassroots level." He also emphasized the need for implementing a clear roadmap for addressing transboundary and Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) besides zoonotic diseases.

Dr JK Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, provided opening remarks, emphasizing the rapid growth in the fisheries sectors. He stated, "The export from the fisheries sector is twice as much of basmati rice, however, due to the emphasis on enhanced production, intensification of fisheries sector has brought in many selection traits leading to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and zoonotic diseases." Dr Jena highlighted the role of the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) with support from USAID to work in zoonosis, transboundary diseases, and EIDs, and also focused on the exchange of knowledge and technical acumen of various sectors for developing One Health strategy.

Dr Abhijit Mitra, Animal Husbandry Commissioner for the Government of India, emphasized the need for developing rapid response teams for disease outbreak and their subsequent monitoring and control. He said, "Effective communication strategies need to be implemented for One Health so communication at the ground level can have a more effective outcome for interventions."

The workshop included technical sessions focusing on disease surveillance early warning systems, digital data, and disease informatics, as well as effective communicative strategies for One Health. The role of engaging the community and private sector was also emphasized under the 5 Cs approach: coordination, collaboration, cooperation, communication, and commitment to work together.

Key takeaways from the workshop included: 

• The imperative need for quality disease data from various sectors and its evaluation for the formulation of guidelines and policy documents for disease prevention.
• It was also noted that data sharing between Animal Health and Human health is the bedrock for the One Health initiative. States should also share relevant data and integrate the two to derive crucial insights.
• More emphasis on National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for working in zoonotic diseases, EIDs and AMR.

The workshop concluded with a renewed commitment to collaborative efforts across sectors to enhance animal health and public health outcomes in India.