One Health concept - a global approach to reduce health risks: Chairman, NDDB

While inaugurating a garden of medicinal plants at NDDB campus, Shri Dilip Rath, Chairman NDDB advised all to gain insights from the Vedas in use of Ayurveda and revive our ancient traditions practiced by our forefathers. Shri Rath also mentioned about the one health concept, which recognises the necessity of a collaborative approach to optimise health indices by recognising the interconnection between humans, animals, plants and their shared environment. He said, “Let us connect to nature on this World Environment Day so that our future generations inherit a safe and healthy Earth.” Employees of NDDB planted saplings and pledged to increase green cover.

NDDB’s garden will create awareness on various medicinal plants, which can be used for managing common ailments in both humans and animals. QR codes have been provided for each plant - scanning provides details as per the “Ayurveda Offering-Herbal Healing” book of the AYUSH for humans and, EVM booklet for animals. 

Later, Shri Rath, who is also the Chairman of Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), planted saplings at the IRMA campus along with the Director, IRMA, teachers and other staff members.

Shri Rath said that there is a growing realization that the incidence of extreme climate events can cause significant adverse impact on the livelihoods of rural households as these can result in affecting milch animal productivity and milk production. To mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, initiatives such as promoting indigenous breeds, propagating suitable fodder variants, adopting climate friendly animal rearing practices, promoting Ayurveda based treatment of diseases, improving cold chain etc., need to be intensified with the participation of all stakeholders.

Chairman, NDDB conveyed that requirement for safe and healthy co-existence of humans, animals and the environment is gaining significance worldwide. As per OIE estimates, about 60% of the human infectious diseases are zoonotic and at least 75% of emerging infections in humans are of animal origin. The recent COVID 19 pandemic has turned out to be a global health crisis. In order to mitigate the risk to human health, controlling zoonotic diseases at the animal source is of paramount importance.

Besides, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is becoming a silent pandemic both globally and in our country from indiscriminate use of antibiotics to treat animal diseases. We strongly believe that the solution to this serious problem lies in promoting alternative treatment strategies like Pashu Ayurveda based Ethno Veterinary Medicine (EVM) to treat a range of animal diseases (mastitis, brucellosis etc.) which would reduce incidence of AMR. Majority of dairy farmers in our country find it difficult to afford a veterinarian or bear the cost of treatment charges when their animals fall sick. EVM uses medicinal plants, herbs, spices and traditional knowledge to treat a number of common animal diseases. EVM is being aggressively promoted by NDDB through various milk producer institutions in more than 10 states in the country.