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India Prepares to Launch Country's First Ever Animal Pandemic Response Plan: Reports

© Photo : PETA IndiaPETA India rescued a cow and named it Kim 'Kowdashian' to honour reality show star Kim Kardashian for her contribution to animal protection.
PETA India rescued a cow and named it Kim 'Kowdashian' to honour reality show star Kim Kardashian for her contribution to animal protection. - Sputnik India, 1920, 14.04.2023
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Indian government, in collaboration with the World Bank, has developed the country’s first animal pandemic response plan to control outbreaks such as of lumpy skin disease among cattle and is ready to begin its implementation in the coming days, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported, citing officials.
"The emphasis is to build a strong animal health system, essential to animal, human health and food security, apart from its importance in the overall economy. It is also key to protecting livelihoods and addressing threats from emerging infectious diseases," an unnamed official told the newspaper, noting that the initiative will create an "integrated disease reporting system for enhanced surveillance of zoonotic and other animal diseases."
The program is set to be launched by Indian Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala on Friday, the report said.

Meanwhile, a former regional director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Rupesh Oza, told Hindustan Times that "prevention of animal infections, especially large outbreaks, has become all the more important due to greater risks to humans today compared to even half a century ago."

He added that climate change is one of the factors for increased risks of emergent diseases.
India has the world's largest livestock population with 536.76 million cattle.
Livestock accounts for 30% of the country’s gross value added in the agricultural sector. In 2022, India struggled with a lumpy skin disease outbreak, which reportedly killed or emaciated about 300,000 cattle.
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