From recurrent Nipah virus outbreaks in Kerala to bird flu resurging across Indian poultry farms, India’s zoonotic threat landscape is widening. Each outbreak is not an isolated event—it’s a symptom of a deeper imbalance between humans, animals, and ecosystems. The One Health approach, which unites these three domains, is not just a global framework—it’s now a national necessity.
The One Health approach recognizes that the health of people, animals, and the environment are deeply connected. When we change how we use land, trade animals, or disrupt natural habitats, we also change how diseases spread.
According to ICMR, India reports more than 2.5 million zoonotic infections annually, reflecting how vulnerable the country is to spillover events.
In fact, about 60% of new infectious diseases in humans come from animals, and most major outbreaks in recent decades—like bird flu, Ebola, and COVID-19—have roots in animal or environmental sources.
One Health brings together doctors, veterinarians, environmental scientists, and policymakers to prevent diseases before they spread by focusing on shared risks. It helps tackle not just zoonotic infections (those that jump from animals to humans) but also antimicrobial resistance, vector-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria, and even food and water safety.
Think of One Health as a three-legged stool — if one leg (human, animal, or environmental health) weakens, the whole system loses balance. Strengthening all three legs equally ensures that the system — and the people depending on it — can stand steady when disease threats emerge.
A spillover occurs when a pathogen jumps from animals to humans. Deforestation, unregulated livestock markets, and rapid urbanization have brought humans into closer contact with wildlife. Kerala’s Nipah episodes, for instance, were linked to fruit bats, while avian influenza (H5N1, H5N8) continues to circulate silently in domestic birds before occasionally infecting humans.
Such cross-species transmission thrives in conditions where surveillance and intersectoral coordination lag behind.
India’s fragmented surveillance systems—separate for human health, veterinary, and wildlife sectors—form a bottleneck in preventing spillovers. While hospitals detect human infections, veterinary labs often miss early animal cases. Integrating these systems under the One Health framework can ensure early warning, cross-notification, and coordinated response. This means involving community health workers, veterinarians, and environmental officers at the grassroots level.
Community-level prevention remains the strongest vaccine against zoonoses. Strengthening biosecurity in poultry farms, promoting safe animal handling, ensuring regulated wildlife trade, and enhancing public awareness are all critical steps. Urban planning and waste management policies must also minimize human–animal interface zones.
By improving coordination between sectors, investing in prevention, and protecting ecosystems, the world could save billions each year and build stronger defenses against future pandemics.
Strengthening surveillance and prevention requires action at both national and local levels, as highlighted by experts interviewed by MedBound Times.
In an exclusive talk with Medbound Times, experts from different levels of India’s public health system shared their perspectives on translating the One Health vision into action.
At the national level, Dr. Ramesh Chandra, Public Health Specialist, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), MoHFW, Government of India, highlighted that strengthening India’s One Health framework fundamentally depends on empowering its public health workforce:
"Strengthening India’s One Health framework demands a robust and well-trained public health workforce capable of effective coordination across human, animal, and environmental health sectors. Structured capacity-building initiatives such as the Advanced and Intermediate Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP) and the India Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) have been instrumental in this regard.
EIS officers and FETP-trained professionals have played a critical role during outbreaks of Nipah virus and avian influenza, contributing to prevention, integrated surveillance, rapid response, and intersectoral collaboration at both national and subnational levels. Their applied epidemiological expertise and field-based training exemplify how an empowered workforce can translate the One Health concept into operational reality.
Sustained investment in such workforce development programs and their integration across sectors will be essential to enhance India’s preparedness and resilience against future zoonotic and spillover threats."
At the grassroots level, Dr. Rucha Shete, Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Mumbai — a One Health advocate — emphasized that the movement must grow from the ground up. She highlighted that village-level collaboration among local health, veterinary, and environmental workers, supported by district authorities, could enable early detection, minimize data duplication, and ensure real-time disease reporting.
Both perspectives remind us that while policies and training build the policy level of the One Health system, local collaboration forms its foundation — much like a tree that draws its strength from deep, interconnected roots.
Together, both views show that One Health’s success depends on seamless coordination between the national and the local, with information flowing in both directions — policy guiding the field, and ground realities informing policy.
To move beyond reactive containment, India must operationalize One Health at every level—from district surveillance units to national inter-ministerial coordination. The goal is clear: stop the next outbreak before it starts.
As the WHO warns, spillovers are not rare accidents—they are predictable outcomes of neglect. The One Health approach offers a way to turn that predictability into preparedness.
India’s next major outbreak may already be brewing — but with a functioning One Health system, it doesn’t need to become a crisis.
Key Lessons for One Health and Spillover Prevention:
Zoonotic diseases like Nipah and bird flu are rising due to environmental and human-animal interface changes.
One Health integration can bridge gaps between human, animal, and environmental health systems.
Workforce development, prevention-focused policies, and community surveillance are key to building long-term resilience.
What is the One Health approach?
The One Health approach recognizes that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected. It promotes collaboration across sectors to prevent and control zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and spillover events.
Why is India facing more spillover threats like Nipah and bird flu?
India’s rising spillover risks are linked to rapid urbanization, deforestation, climate change, unregulated animal trade, and closer human–wildlife interactions, which increase chances of viruses jumping species.
How can the One Health model help prevent future outbreaks?
One Health strengthens surveillance, encourages early detection, improves intersectoral coordination, enhances biosecurity, and supports community-level prevention — reducing the likelihood of zoonotic spillovers.
What are India’s main challenges in implementing One Health?
Key challenges include fragmented surveillance across human, veterinary, and environmental sectors, limited real-time data sharing, insufficient workforce training, and gaps in grassroots-level coordination.
Which diseases highlight the need for a strong One Health framework in India?
Repeated outbreaks of Nipah virus in Kerala, avian influenza across poultry farms, zoonotic infections, vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria, and rising antimicrobial resistance all underline the urgency of One Health.
References
World Health Organization (WHO). Nipah virus – India: Disease Outbreak News; 17 September 2025. Geneva: WHO; 2025. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON577
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Situation Update – India and Asia, 2024–2025. Paris: WOAH; 2025. Available from: https://www.woah.org/en/disease/avian-influenza
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India. National Action Plan for One Health (Draft 2024). New Delhi: MoHFW; 2024. Available from: https://main.mohfw.gov.in/
World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Taking a Multisectoral, One Health Approach: A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases. Geneva: WHO; 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241514934
Edited by M Subha Maheswari
