World Bank approves $82 Million in Funding for India’s Zoonotic Disease Prevention Efforts

The World Bank has approved $82 million in funding to support the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases in India. Zoonotic diseases are illnesses that can be transmitted from animals to humans, such as rabies, avian influenza, and leptospirosis.

The project aims to strengthen India’s health systems and surveillance mechanisms to better detect and respond to zoonotic diseases.

This will include the development of a national One Health platform, which will bring together experts in human, animal, and environmental health to better understand and prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases.

“In India, around 68 per cent of the workforce relies on farming and remains in close contact with domestic animals and poultry, thereby becoming frequently exposed to sick or infected animals,” said Hikuepi Katjiuongua, Adarsh Kumar and Anupam Joshi, the Task Team Leaders for the program.

The project will also support the development of rapid response teams, laboratory networks, and community-based surveillance systems. The funding will be provided over a period of five years and will be implemented by the Indian government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.