Pushing One Health approach, U.P. priorities early identification and reporting of emerging zoonotic diseases
Uttar Pradesh's Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Department has prioritised early identification and reporting of emerging zoonotic diseases under a One Health framework
The department, working with the Forest and Wildlife Department, conducted active surveillance for Avian Influenza among wild migratory birds at 19 Ramsar and other important wetland sites in the state
The initiative is linked to a global health security project supporting multi-sectoral disease surveillance capacity [Unverified — specific project name and funding structure]
The effort reflects inter-departmental coordination between animal husbandry and forest/wildlife authorities for early-warning disease detection
One Health Approach
One Health is a collaborative, multi-sectoral framework that recognises the interconnection between human health, animal health (both domestic and wild), and environmental/ecosystem health, and coordinates action across these sectors to detect and respond to shared health threats such as zoonotic diseases. India operationalised this approach nationally through the National One Health Mission, approved in 2022, anchored by the National Institute of One Health and led by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser with a cross-ministerial task force spanning the health, animal husbandry, and environment ministries.
Key Details
- National One Health Mission approved by the Union Cabinet in 2022, with an outlay of approximately ₹383 crore
- Anchor institution: National Institute of One Health (Nagpur)
- Target: at least 100 zoonotic sentinel surveillance sites at medical and veterinary institutions by 2027
- Ten priority zoonotic diseases identified for India include zoonotic influenza, anthrax, Japanese encephalitis, leptospirosis, brucellosis, rabies, scrub typhus, and plague
The Uttar Pradesh surveillance drive is a state-level implementation of this One Health architecture, coordinating the animal husbandry and forest departments — the animal and environmental "arms" of the One Health triad — to catch zoonotic spillover risk at the source (wild bird populations) before it reaches livestock or humans.
Avian Influenza and Wildlife-Livestock-Human Interface
Avian Influenza (bird flu), caused by influenza A viruses such as H5N1, circulates naturally in wild aquatic and migratory birds, which act as reservoirs, and can spill over into domestic poultry and, less commonly, into humans and other mammals. Wetlands along migratory flyways are high-risk surveillance points because they concentrate wild bird populations during seasonal migration, making early detection there critical to preventing onward transmission to poultry farms and human populations.
Key Details
- India's National Action Plan for Prevention, Control and Containment of Avian Influenza (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying) mandates routine and targeted surveillance of migratory birds, poultry, live bird markets, and wetlands
- Containment protocol on confirmed outbreak: culling within a defined radius (typically 1 km) of the epicentre and movement restrictions
- Avian Influenza is classified as a notifiable animal disease under World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) reporting obligations
- India lies along the Central Asian Flyway, a major migratory bird route relevant to avian influenza introduction risk
Surveillance at wetland sites along migratory routes — rather than only at poultry farms — targets the wild-bird reservoir stage of the transmission chain, consistent with national avian influenza containment protocols.
Ramsar Convention and Wetlands of India
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971, Ramsar, Iran) is an intergovernmental treaty providing the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources; India ratified it in 1982. Sites designated under the Convention are recognised as Wetlands of International Importance for their ecological, hydrological, and biodiversity value, including as habitat for migratory waterbirds — the same populations relevant to zoonotic spillover surveillance.
Key Details
- Convention adopted: 1971; India became a signatory/ratified: 1982
- India's Ramsar Site count has grown substantially in recent years, crossing 100 designated sites by 2026, with Uttar Pradesh among the states holding multiple sites
- Ramsar sites are protected under India's Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, administered by State Wetland Authorities
- Wetlands are distinguished from other protected area categories (National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries) as they are defined by hydrological/ecological criteria rather than solely species-protection mandates
The 19 sites where active surveillance was conducted are drawn from Uttar Pradesh's Ramsar and other important wetlands, which double as both biodiversity conservation sites and disease-surveillance checkpoints for migratory bird populations.
- Active Avian Influenza surveillance conducted at 19 Ramsar and other important wetland sites in Uttar Pradesh
- India's Ramsar Convention ratification: 1982; Convention adopted: 1971
- India's total Ramsar-designated sites crossed 100 by 2026
- National One Health Mission: approved 2022, outlay ~₹383 crore, anchored by the National Institute of One Health
- Target of 100 zoonotic sentinel surveillance sites nationally by 2027
- Ten priority zoonotic diseases for India include zoonotic influenza, anthrax, Japanese encephalitis, leptospirosis, brucellosis, and rabies
- Standard containment radius for confirmed avian influenza outbreaks: 1 km culling zone