BharatNotes What is Pandemic Preparedness (One Health)?
Pandemic preparedness under the One Health approach is the practice of readying institutions, surveillance systems and response capacities for future outbreaks by recognising that human, animal and environmental health are inseparable. The One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) — which first convened on 17 May 2021 with 26 experts — defines One Health as "an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems" (WHO/FAO, 2021). The logic is epidemiological: around 60% of known human infectious diseases and about 75% of new or emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic (WHO).
Global Architecture
Four UN-system bodies — the Quadripartite — anchor global One Health action: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE). They strengthened their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 17 March 2022 and jointly run the One Health Joint Plan of Action. A landmark step came when the 78th World Health Assembly adopted the first-ever WHO Pandemic Agreement on 20 May 2025 by consensus; it features a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system and will enter into force after 60 ratifications.
| Element | Detail (as verified) |
|---|---|
| One Health definition | OHHLEP, adopted 2021 |
| Quadripartite | FAO, UNEP, WHO, WOAH (MoU 17 Mar 2022) |
| Zoonotic share | ~60% known, ~75% emerging human diseases (WHO) |
| Global treaty | WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted 20 May 2025 |
India's Response
India operationalises the approach through the National One Health Mission (NOHM), steered by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and implemented via the Department of Health Research / ICMR, with participation of more than 13 central ministries and departments. Its priorities include integrated disease surveillance, early-warning systems, vaccine and diagnostic R&D, and a network of high-containment BSL-3/4 laboratories (22 labs as reported by the PSA's office) accessible to human, livestock and wildlife sectors. The National Institute of One Health, Nagpur serves as the anchor institution — the Union Cabinet approved its Director position in February 2024. The NCDC also runs a dedicated Centre for One Health, and a state-level pilot was launched in Karnataka and Uttarakhand (2022).
Significance and Challenges
A One Health framework closes the silos between health, agriculture, animal husbandry and environment ministries, enabling faster spillover detection (as seen with avian influenza and Lumpy Skin Disease). It also tackles antimicrobial resistance and food safety. Key challenges remain: weak inter-departmental data-sharing, uneven district-level capacity, and the need for sustained financing. For India, embedding One Health into the Disaster Management framework treats biological disasters with the same seriousness as natural hazards.
UPSC relevance: Foundational concept underpinning Prelims questions on international health bodies and zoonoses, and Mains GS3 questions on biological-disaster preparedness, health-system resilience and inter-ministerial governance. No direct single PYQ is cited; cross-link to current affairs on Ujiyari.com for the latest NOHM and WHO Pandemic Agreement developments.
