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Protecting the Planet: India’s Role in One Health Advocacy

InnoHEALTH magazine digital team — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 06:45:00 +0000

As global discussions focus more and more on the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health, India, a land of diverse ecosystems and the second-most populous country, is positioned to play a pivotal role in One Health advocacy. The One Health concept, according to the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, emphasises the inextricable connections between humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment. Through the lens of One Health, we can see that the health of each group depends on the well-being of the others, making it a multi-dimensional, multi-disciplinary approach to healthcare and environmental stewardship.

India’s One Health policy agenda, is a proactive response to the increasing threat of zoonotic diseases and the growing realisation that human health cannot be separated from animal health and environmental conditions. The policy seeks to provide a comprehensive approach to prevent, detect, and respond to these emerging threats, focusing on strengthening surveillance systems, enhancing laboratory capacity, building human resources, and improving community engagement.

Implementing the One Health approach in India, requires significant coordination between various governmental departments and stakeholder groups. It also demands an understanding and acknowledgment of the social, economic, and environmental determinants of health. This approach necessitates collaboration between veterinarians, physicians, environmental scientists, public health professionals, policy-makers, and community members to create effective solutions that benefit all species and the environment.

Karnataka, one of India’s southern states, is leading the way in piloting One Health programs. Karnataka is among two states hosting One Health pilot projects with a focus on zoonotic diseases. This initiative is aimed at understanding the complex interaction between human and animal health within a shared environment, thus contributing to a more comprehensive approach to disease control and prevention.

Moreover, India is not only focusing on domestic policy changes, the nation is also contributing to a shift in the global paradigm by pushing for the recognition of One Health at international forums. The aim is to share India’s experiences and learning with the world, thus strengthening international cooperation and global response to health challenges that transcend national boundaries.

India’s involvement in One Health advocacy is key to protect not only its inhabitants but the world at large. It signifies a move from a reactionary model to a more holistic, preventive one that respects and nurtures the health interconnections between humans, animals, and the environment.

However, the successful implementation of the One Health approach in India, like anywhere else, depends on overcoming challenges such as funding, policy integration, capacity building, and awareness. With a concerted effort from all sectors of society, India can help lead the way in demonstrating the effectiveness of the One Health approach in safeguarding planetary health.

Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP): A Step Towards One Health

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) was launched by India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2004 with the aim of establishing a comprehensive system for detecting and responding to disease threats. It was designed to monitor and track diseases that could potentially lead to outbreaks or public health emergencies.

The IDSP employs a decentralised, state-based surveillance system for the timely and efficient collection and transfer of data related to diseases. It takes into account both human and animal health data, which is crucial in controlling and preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases. The program utilises an integrated approach, linking local, district, state, and national levels to detect early warning signals of impending outbreaks and initiate a rapid response to control the spread of diseases.

This initiative, therefore, forms a significant part of India’s One Health strategy, as it recognizes and addresses the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health in preventing and controlling disease spread.

The Role of ICMR’s Zoonoses Division in Addressing One Health Issues

The Zoonoses Division of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) plays a pivotal role in addressing One Health issues. It is dedicated to the study and research of zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, such as avian influenza, rabies, and brucellosis.

The division carries out epidemiological studies to track the spread of these diseases, develops diagnostic tools and treatment methods, and conducts research to understand how these diseases are transmitted between animals and humans. It also contributes to the formulation of national guidelines and policies for the control and prevention of zoonotic diseases.

Thus, the Zoonoses Division plays an important role in implementing the One Health approach in India, bringing together human and animal health sectors to mitigate the risk of zoonotic diseases.

India’s International Collaborations for One Health

India’s engagement with the One Health initiative extends beyond its borders through collaborations with various international organisations. These collaborations enable knowledge sharing, capacity building, and the leveraging of resources to address health challenges more effectively.

For example, India works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) on a number of health issues, including disease surveillance and response, the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases, and public health emergencies.

India also collaborates with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to address animal health issues and their implications for human health. These collaborations focus on improving animal health services, controlling and eradicating animal diseases, and promoting safe food production systems.

Furthermore, India is a member of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), an international partnership that seeks to strengthen countries’ capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats. Through the GHSA, India collaborates with other countries to enhance its own capacity to handle health threats and contribute to global health security. These collaborations underscore India’s commitment to the One Health approach and its role in advocating for global health.

Navigating the Roadblocks: Implementing One Health Strategies in India

Implementing One Health strategies in India presents a unique set of challenges, from fragmented jurisdiction to resource constraints and public awareness gaps. Following are the major roadblocks in implementing one health strategies in India:

Fragmentation and Jurisdiction Overlaps: One Health involves a collaborative approach across different sectors, including human health, animal health, and environmental health. In India, these sectors are managed by different governmental departments, each with its own jurisdiction. This often leads to overlaps, inadequate coordination, and a lack of information exchange between these sectors, which can hinder the effective implementation of One Health strategies.

Limited Resources: One Health strategies require substantial funding to support research, capacity building, disease surveillance, and response systems. India, like many other developing countries, faces challenges related to limited resources and funding. In addition to this, there is a scarcity of skilled professionals who are trained in the One Health approach, further impeding the effective execution of these strategies.

Insufficient Public Awareness: Many people, including healthcare professionals and the general public, have limited understanding of the concept and importance of One Health. This lack of awareness can make it difficult to effectively implement One Health strategies and can lead to resistance or non-compliance with public health measures.

Limited Research and Data: There is a lack of comprehensive research examining the interconnection between human, animal, and environmental health in the Indian context. This limited data hinders the understanding, planning, and implementation of One Health strategies.

Weak Surveillance Systems: Effective implementation of One Health strategies requires strong surveillance systems to monitor and respond to potential health threats. However, India’s current surveillance systems may not be adequately equipped to detect and respond quickly to outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, which can jump from animals to humans.

Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach that includes policy reforms, increased funding, enhancing public awareness, promoting research, and strengthening disease surveillance systems. Overcoming these hurdles is critical for India to effectively implement One Health strategies and safeguard the health of its people, animals, and environment.

Overpowering Constraints in Executing One Health Initiatives in India

Addressing the roadblocks in the execution of One Health strategies in India requires a comprehensive and multi-pronged plan that includes policy modifications, a boost in funding, initiatives to improve education and awareness, and an upgrade in surveillance systems. Let’s delve deeper into these key elements:

Creation of a Unified One Health Centre: An integrated system fostering inter-departmental coordination can significantly enhance the execution of One Health in India. This centre would assemble experts from varying sectors, such as human health, animal health, and environmental health, thereby augmenting the efficiency of strategic planning, communication, and response to health threats.

Expansion of Resource Provision: Sufficient financial and human resources are indispensable for the effective operation of One Health strategies. By scaling up the budget for research, infrastructure, and skill-enhancement programs, India can augment its potential to tackle health threats. Furthermore, training a broader range of professionals in the field of One Health can help bridge the gap of skilled personnel.

Amplification of Public Consciousness and Education: Elevating the understanding of One Health among the public and healthcare professionals is crucial. Integrating One Health principles into educational curricula of medicine, veterinary science, and public health programs can nurture a new cadre of professionals well-equipped in these principles. Concurrently, public awareness drives can help disseminate knowledge and foster acceptance of the One Health approach among the masses.

Fortification of Surveillance Mechanisms: Upgrading disease surveillance mechanisms is key to promptly detecting and responding to potential health threats. Technological advancements and data analytics can be leveraged to enhance the ability of surveillance systems to identify and monitor disease outbreaks effectively. International collaboration can also help boost India’s surveillance capabilities.

Advancement of Research and Development: Promoting extensive research into zoonotic diseases and health’s ecological aspects can help refine the application of One Health strategies in India. Additionally, the development of innovative tools, such as new diagnostic methods and vaccines, can contribute to more effective disease prevention and control.

Encouraging International Cooperation: India should continue fostering partnerships with international organisations and other nations to exchange knowledge, learn from successful practices, and collaborate on addressing common health threats. These partnerships can amplify India’s capacity to effectively implement One Health strategies.

Implementing the One Health initiative in India requires a well-planned and coordinated approach. Here are some suggestions for ensuring a smooth execution:

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Strengthen collaboration between veterinarians, human health professionals, ecologists, and others to address health issues from a holistic perspective. Encourage knowledge sharing between these different fields and promote the development of cross-disciplinary teams.

Policy Integration: Ensure that One Health principles are integrated into the policies of all relevant departments. This includes health, environment, agriculture, and rural development. Policies should be harmonised to prevent conflict and to promote the simultaneous achievement of human, animal, and environmental health goals.

Strengthen Surveillance Systems: Improve surveillance and diagnostic systems to promptly identify and respond to potential health threats. This includes enhancing the capability to identify new zoonotic diseases and monitor their spread.

Capacity Building: Train health professionals, researchers, policy-makers, and community workers in the principles of One Health. Encourage the development of skills that are necessary for the implementation of One Health policies, such as disease surveillance, risk assessment, and interdepartmental communication.

Community Engagement: Raise awareness of the One Health concept among communities, particularly those in rural and semi-rural areas where human and animal interactions are high. Involve communities in decision-making processes to ensure that policies are culturally appropriate and effective.

Research and Innovation: Invest in research to understand the complex interplay between human, animal, and environmental health. Use these insights to drive policy decisions and develop innovative solutions to health challenges.

Collaboration with International Bodies: Partner with international bodies such as the World Health Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health, and the United Nations Environment Programme. Collaborate to share knowledge, best practices, and to coordinate responses to global health threats.

Adequate Funding: Secure sustainable funding for One Health initiatives. This could be achieved through government funding, public-private partnerships, or international grants.

By addressing these key areas, India can create a strong foundation for the implementation of the One Health initiative, ensuring a healthier future for its people, animals, and environment.

Educational Initiatives: Fostering a New Generation of One Health Professionals

Education is a cornerstone of India’s strategy to promote the One Health approach. Several universities and research institutions across the country have started offering courses and programs that focus on One Health. These educational initiatives aim to train students to understand the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health and equip them with the skills necessary to address health challenges from a holistic perspective.

Moreover, there are also ongoing efforts to incorporate One Health principles into the curriculum of medical, veterinary, environmental science, and public health programs. This is complemented by awareness campaigns designed to educate the public about the importance of One Health.

Future Steps: Building a Resilient One Health System

In the face of these challenges, India is taking steps to build a resilient One Health system. One of the critical future strategies is to establish a National One Health Hub. This would serve as a centralised system that brings together professionals from human health, animal health, and environmental health sectors. By integrating these different sectors, the hub aims to improve coordination, facilitate rapid responses to health threats, and promote an efficient exchange of information.

The government also plans to strengthen surveillance mechanisms and enhance laboratory capacities to better detect and respond to potential outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. Another important measure is to increase funding for One Health initiatives, including research, infrastructure, and capacity-building programs.

Conclusion: India’s Growing Influence in Global One Health Advocacy

Despite the challenges, India’s efforts towards advocating for and implementing the One Health strategy are having a significant global impact. With its unique position as a country with rich biodiversity, a large human population, and a dynamic economic landscape, India’s approach to One Health serves as a model for other developing countries.

Furthermore, India’s collaborations with international organisations and its contributions to global health research underscore its growing influence in the global health arena. By adopting the One Health approach, India is not only striving to protect its own citizens and ecosystems but is also contributing to the broader global goal of preserving the health of our planet.

Composed by: “Varsha, proficient as a Business Analyst, has an educational foundation in healthcare IT, acquired through a PGDHM from IIHMR Delhi. Her primary interest rests at the intersection of healthcare and technology, with a specific focus on harnessing cutting-edge tech solutions to revolutionize patient care and enhance healthcare systems. Her work areas comprise optimizing healthcare data flow and improving operational efficiency, driving enhanced patient care and system robustness.”

The post Protecting the Planet: India’s Role in One Health Advocacy appeared first on InnoHEALTH magazine.

Arunachalam Muruganantham: A Tale of Menstrual Hygiene Movement

InnoHEALTH Magazine — Tue, 15 May 2018 10:12:06 +0000

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Alisha Thapa works as a community manager in MixORG, New Delhi. Also generates content and strategy for brands. She runs campaigns for brands’ engagement and presence on online media channels.

Now that the entire nation knows the unsung hero, let’s learn about how his uncomfortable journey actually began. Silence on Menstruation in our country remained extreme until ad commercials on sanitary pads started erupting one after the other along with a revolution of the Television industry in the 1990s. That’s how women in urban India developed an interest to replace the cloth with a sanitary pad during menstruation days. The availability of the product became prominent in nearby stores.

Sadly, the situation wasn’t the same in rural India. For a very long era, women in villages and small towns relied on dirty rags and leaves and horrifyingly even used ashes and sand. Certain customs made their lives more difficult such as hiding menstrual cloth in dark areas which did not allow sterilisation of cloth from sunlight, living in a separate room during menstrual days and restriction from doing many activities. Girls dropped out of the school once the period would start or remained absent for those five days due to the lack of toilets in school. The multinational companies had entered India but failed to pitch the rural market due to lack of three As–Awareness, Affordability and Accessibility.

The biggest hurdle that was deeply rooted in all other disadvantages in India was menstrual taboos that differed with every different region. Irrespective of rural or urban society, during menstrual days, certain customs still prevail in large amount. Such as not entering the temple, skipping religious ceremonies at home, not allowed to enter the kitchen and many more. Three decades have already passed by in public awareness and selling of sanitary pads in our country. However, various surveys report that only 12% of women population use sanitary pads and the remaining 88% rely on other unhygienic alternatives.

As an answer to overcome all the aforementioned complexities, a common man from the southern part of India struggled for many years. Finally in the year 2006, he succeeded in innovating a machine that changed the game of menstrual hygiene in our country.

The man behind a thoughtful initiative in women’s menstrual hygiene in India did not initially begin his remarkable journey with an intent to lead a full-fledged movement. He once had a simple and decent lifestyle in the beginning years of his life. Born in 1962, Arunachalam as a young boy grew in poverty in a small village of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. His father’s early death and his mother’s single-handed hardships eventually left him with no option but to drop out of school. From the age of fourteen, he was in various jobs such as tool operator, farm labourer, welder and many more to support his family. Today, he is a social entrepreneur who has designed a low-cost sanitary pad making the machine. An awardee of Padma Shri, he is credited for innovating grassroots mechanisms for generating awareness about traditional unhygienic practices around menstruation in rural India.

So, what made Arunachalam think deeply about menstrual hygiene? How did he come across the idea of designing sanitary napkins for women? Well, his marriage with Shanti and the aftermath gave birth to a genius that developed within him. In the late 90s shortly after his marriage, one day Arunachalam noticed that his wife was hiding something on her back. She showed him the dirty cloth with blood. His wife used dirty cloth during menstruation days. He himself felt that he would never consider using that dirty cloth to even clean his scooter. On wife’s part, it was the other household budget that made her discard the use of sanitary pads.

As a gesture to impress his wife and take care of her personal hygiene. Arunachalam travelled to the town and bought a pack of sanitary pads for his wife. As he touched the pad for the first time, he knew that the cotton was the primary material needed for a pad. He could also make out the serious amount of price being charged for a 10-gram cotton-made pad.

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With a hope to design affordable pads for his wife as well as the women around his village area, he started off his honest and small attempt which we know today as a worldwide phenomenon. In his first attempt, he made a pad completely made out of cotton. After he faced series of unwillingness to wear and test the pad for feedback from his wife, sisters and the medical college girls. He decided to wear and test the product on himself. That is how he officially became ‘the man who wore a sanitary pad’. Interestingly, he created an artificial uterus from a football bladder and filled goat’s blood in it. He then attached a pipe to the bladder and directed it towards the pad he wore. He walked, cycled and ran as he pumped the blood from the bladder and every time sensed a foul smell of the blood.

Day by day, his involvement in the research deepened. And his activities were wrongly judged by the village people and he was even addressed as a madman. Some avoided him and some declared him to be suffering from the sexual disease as he washed his blood-stained clothes in a public well. Bigger problems awaited him. Within the eighteen months of his research, his wife left him with a divorce notice being slapped on his face as well as his mother left the house. With the ever-growing superstitious beliefs of the villagers. It eventually became tough for him to live and his village exclude him. He was all alone in the world, but nothing could stop him for his determination.

However, the cotton pad he had managed to design couldn’t produce an output like any other branded sanitary pad. Lack of knowledge and resources and inability to speak or understand English were some of the first hurdles in his method of research. He would send those branded pads for laboratory analysis and everytime cotton would be detected as the main material. Whereas his own cotton creation was failing. With the help of a college professor, he started writing and asking the big manufacturing companies. In reply, he was asked about the kind of plant he owned. And to which he had no clue of what the companies were asking.

Subsequently, he started saying that he was a textile mill owner in Coimbatore and he was interested in setting up a business in sanitary pads. Therefore, he required few samples to start with. That statement did work in his favour. It took him more than two years to discover the material used in a sanitary pad. The bark of a tree extracts the cellulose. Very soon he realised the requirement of a machine to break down the material. Buying a machine meant the expenditure of thousands of dollars. Therefore, Arunachalam came up with an idea to design a machine. It took four years for him to prepare the machine.

He showed his innovation to the IIT in Madras where scientists were doubtful. They did not see any potential in the machine to compete with other innovations. Nonetheless, IIT entered his machine in a competition for a national innovation award. Arunachalam’s machine stood first out of nine hundred forty-three entries. President of India Pratibha Patil presented him with an award.

His next big move is to reach the wider world. He plans to expand to as many countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh and many more. Inspired by his breakthrough innovation, the film Industry in India initiated a film on February 2018 titled as ‘PadMan’.

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Useful Tips and Information on Menstrual Hygiene

At times, even women living in urban areas or metropolitan cities are unaware of basic hygiene that are important to follow during periods. Lack of limited education on the subject, hesitance against the free flow of communication and taboos. These are some of the barriers that overshadow the basic hygiene knowledge of menstruation. Take a look below and see if you knew them before:

You should change your sanitary pad once in every six hours. During heavy flow, you could change in shorter time. Wearing same pad for longer duration could lead to problems such as skin rashes and infections

- Wash regularly to avoid bad odour and spread of germs

Once you have decided to throw a used pad, do it properly. Refrain from flushing the pad down the toilet as it may cause a blockage. Wrap it well before you discard it. Then wash your hands properly.

- Apply an ointment after a bath if you suffer from a pad rash. In case if it doesn’t heal, visit a doctor.

While travelling, always carries extra pads stored in a clean bag or a pouch. Carrying some tissues and a hand sanitizer will be useful as well as a bottle of water will keep you hydrated.

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