Empowering Guardians: A Critical Initiative to Protect Forest Heroes from Zoonotic Threats
PUNE — The Maharashtra forest department has initiated a real-time surveillance model to detect zoonotic diseases among bird sanctuary workers and nearby residents. This effort, which began in January, is a collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the National Institute of Virology, Pune (NIV), and Symbiosis International University.
On January 22, a sensitization program was conducted at Vanbhavan, aiming to raise awareness about potential infections among frontline forest staff, who are at high risk and often neglect symptoms. NR Praveen, Chief Conservator of Forests, Pune Circle, emphasized the importance of this program in creating awareness and stated that the initiative would gradually extend across the state.
Central to this initiative is a screening program by ICMR, NIV, and Ela Foundation, targeting sanctuary staff and residents near major wetlands in Maharashtra for zoonotic infection testing. Participation requires written informed consent and involves a three-year seroprevalence study. Satish Pande, founder of Ela Foundation, highlighted the dual benefit of protecting frontline workers and contributing valuable data for developing detection models for zoonotic infections.
Zoonoses, diseases transferred from animals to humans, are a growing global health concern. Prominent emerging pathogens include Nipah virus, Ebola, Zika virus, SARS CoV-2, Avian influenza virus (AIV), and Monkeypox. Notably, avian influenza is the most significant zoonotic infection associated with birds, which can act as sentinels, reservoirs, and potential spreaders of antibiotic resistance.
This initiative aims to address public health concerns by enhancing disease detection and preventive measures in high-risk areas of Maharashtra.
Original Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/pune-news/initiative-to-monitor-zoonotic-disease-among-frontline-forest-staff-101737835073138.html
Category :
Tags:
Publish Date: 2025-01-26 08:30:00
