India recently conducted a futuristic mock drill ‘Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas’ or ‘Virus War Exercise’ to check the preparedness for combating the pandemic. The 5-day long exercise was conducted under the aegis of the National One Health Mission (NOHM) in Ajmer, Rajasthan from August 27 to August 31, 2024.
Key highlights
- The mock drill was aimed at assessing the preparedness of the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to deal with pandemic situations. The team included experts from human health, animal husbandry, and wildlife.
- Multiple stakeholders engaged themselves in the mock drill, including the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), and Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), among others.
- To create a real-world outbreak-like situation, a mock zoonotic disease pandemic-like situation was created during the exercise which focused on how collaborations can be done to deal with the pandemic-induced health conditions of humans, animals, plants, and the environment sustainably.
- The Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas comprised of two key components:
- Investigation and identification of virus to create an outbreak-like situation
- Actions to control the outbreak and prevent the spread
- The exercise proved to be successful, providing valuable insights into India’s preparedness and the actions needed to further enhance it.
About National One Health Mission (NOHM)
- The NOHM was launched in 2022, which aims to facilitate coordination among ministries to strengthen the pandemic preparedness to effectively control the spread of viruses among humans and animals.
- It also helps in creating strategies for integrated disease surveillance, environment surveillance, quick outbreak response, and research and development (R&D).
- It primarily assists in institutionalising the One Health approach which recognises that humans’ health is closely linked to the health of animals and the environment.
- Under the mission, the government aims to set up the National Institute of One Health (NIOH) in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The institute will emphasise the ‘One Health’ approach which is critical to tackling the pandemic caused by zoonotic disease outbreak.
