Centre Readies One Health Plan As Climate Change, Habitat Loss Heightens Zoonotic Disease Risks

As climate change, biodiversity loss and habitat fragmentation intensify interactions between humans and wildlife, raising the risk of animal-borne diseases spilling over into people, the centre is in the midst of preparing a National Action Plan under the One Health framework to combat ten priority zoonotic diseases.

These major zoonotic diseases are Anthrax, Brucellosis, Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), Nipah, Mpox, Rabies, Leptospirosis, Scrub Typhus and Zika.

It was discussed during a national multistakeholder consultation organised recently by the Union Health Ministry, bringing together experts from the health, animal husbandry, wildlife, environmental and academic sectors.

Health and wildlife experts warned that "60% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, and a large proportion of these originate from wildlife. The transmission to humans is often linked with wild animals." They noted that shrinking natural habitats and changing climatic conditions are increasing opportunities for pathogens to cross species barriers.

Addressing the consultation, Additional Secretary in the Union Health Ministry Dr. Rakesh Gupta said zoonotic diseases continue to pose significant public health, animal health and economic challenges globally and in India. He said the proposed National Action Plan would strengthen governance, integrated surveillance, laboratory capacity, preparedness, outbreak response, research, risk communication and financing while enabling States and Union Territories to prepare context-specific action plans.

The move comes amid recurring outbreaks of diseases transmitted from animals to humans, which continue to pose serious public health, veterinary and economic challenges across the country.

Among the priority diseases, rabies continues to account for one of the highest human death burdens globally, with dog bites remaining the primary source of infection. Cases are reported from almost every state, particularly in rural areas where access to timely post-exposure vaccination remains uneven.

Similarly, Anthrax continues to occur sporadically in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Karnataka, largely affecting tribal populations handling infected livestock or contaminated animal products.

Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), commonly known as monkey fever, remains endemic in Karnataka's Western Ghats but has gradually spread to neighbouring Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The tick-borne viral disease mainly affects people living near forest ecosystems, including farmers and forest workers.

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, a highly fatal viral infection transmitted through ticks and infected livestock, has been reported primarily from Gujarat, with isolated cases from Rajasthan and neighbouring states.

At the same time, Nipah virus, one of the deadliest zoonotic infections, has triggered repeated outbreaks in Kerala since 2018, resulting in multiple deaths. Fruit bats are considered the natural reservoir, while human-to-human transmission has also been documented during outbreaks.

Leptospirosis, caused by bacteria spread through water contaminated by animal urine, is frequently reported during the monsoon in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Flooding often leads to seasonal spikes.

Scrub typhus, transmitted by infected chigger mites, has emerged as a growing public health concern in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and several southern states. Delayed diagnosis continues to contribute to severe illness and deaths.

Zika virus has caused outbreaks in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala over recent years, raising concerns due to its association with congenital abnormalities among babies born to infected mothers.

Mpox, though largely linked to imported infections in India, remains under close surveillance following its global spread. Public health experts say early detection and rapid isolation remain crucial to preventing local transmission.

Brucellosis, primarily affecting livestock, remains endemic in several cattle-rearing states, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Human infections are often underdiagnosed among farmers, dairy workers and veterinarians.

Officials said the proposed plan seeks to strengthen the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) 2.0 by expanding sentinel surveillance sites, improving laboratory networks and promoting real-time data sharing across sectors. The framework also emphasises workforce development, research, outbreak preparedness and coordinated response mechanisms.

During the consultation, the ministry launched a Learning Resource Package covering all ten priority zoonotic diseases along with a comprehensive suite of e-learning modules to strengthen the capacity of healthcare professionals, veterinarians, laboratory personnel and frontline workers engaged in surveillance and outbreak response.

Experts also highlighted the growing role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in strengthening disease intelligence, early warning systems and outbreak prediction.

Health officials said the recommendations emerging from the consultation would be incorporated into the final National Action Plan, which will serve as the country's strategic roadmap for preventing, detecting and responding to zoonotic threats. Besides strengthening national health security, the framework is expected to help States build coordinated surveillance systems and improve preparedness for future public health emergencies.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Sujata Chaudhary, Additional Director General of Health Services, Union Health Ministry of Health, emphasised the need for sustained coordination among all relevant ministries and stakeholders to operationalise the One Health approach and strengthen India's preparedness against zoonotic diseases.

Prof. (Dr.) Ranjan Das, Director, National Centre for Disease Control, underscored the growing public health significance of zoonotic diseases and reiterated NCDC's commitment to strengthening integrated disease surveillance.

Dr. Sanjay Shukla, former Member Secretary Central Zoo Authority (CZA) said biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation and climate change are challenges that have increased significantly, increasing the risk of transmission of existing and emerging diseases. “Therefore, we need to focus on issues related to climate change, biodiversity conservation and preventing habitat loss.”

Another major concern is the illegal trafficking of wildlife. “Exotic animals are being brought into the country as pets, and they may carry pathogens or diseases that are not currently prevalent in India.”

Whenever there is a disease outbreak, there should be a joint response team comprising officials from the wildlife/forest department, animal husbandry department and human health sector. Similarly, if there are any unusual deaths among wild animals, they should immediately be reported to both the animal husbandry and public health authorities because they may indicate the beginning of disease transmission, warned Dr. Shukla.

Many newly emerging disease risks are linked to exotic pets such as reptiles, turtles, boas, ball pythons, iguanas and various birds, he added.

Dr. Pragya Sharma, Executive Director, NHSRC; Dr. Naveen Gupta, Additional Director; Dr. Simmi Tiwari, Joint Director and OIC, COH; and Dr. Amar Shah, senior officials of the Health Ministry, NCDC, Ministry of Animal Husbandry & Dairying and Union Environment Ministry; and representatives of the Health & Animal Husbandry departments of 5 states (Rajasthan, Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh) were also present during the meeting.