A Vet-Med Joint National Webinar was organized on World Zoonoses Day 2026 on 6 July 2026 by the Centre for One Health, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University , Ludhiana and Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMC&H), Ludhiana in collaboration with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bathinda. The webinar was held under the theme, "One Health Approaches to Zoonotic Disease Prevention and Integrated Animal–Human Health Surveillance."
Delivering the inaugural address, Dr. J. P. S. Gill, Vice Chancellor, emphasized that the increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases demands a strong 'One Health' approach integrating veterinary, medical, environmental, and public health sectors. He highlighted the pivotal role of veterinary public health and community medicine in strengthening integrated surveillance, early disease detection, and preparedness against emerging and existing health challenges at Human-Animal and Environment interface.
Dr. Nivedita Gupta, Scientist & Head, Communicable Diseases Division, ICMR, New Delhi, emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary research, coordinated surveillance, and evidence-based policymaking to strengthen India's preparedness against zoonotic diseases.
The webinar featured three distinguished expert lectures: Dr. Mala Chhabra (ABVIMS & Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi) on "Syndromic Approach for Diagnosis of Zoonotic Infections", Dr. V. Balamurugan (ICAR-NIVEDI, Bengaluru) on "Integrated One Health Approach to the Control and Management of Leptospirosis", and Dr. Rakesh Kakkar (AIIMS, Bhatinda) on "One World, One Health: Innovation, Research & Action." The lectures were followed by interactive discussions.
The Organizing Secretaries, Dr. J. S. Bedi, Director, Centre for One Health and Dr. Veenu Gupta, Professor and Head, Dept. of Microbiology, DMC&H, Ludhiana, reiterated that effective prevention of zoonotic diseases requires sustained collaboration among veterinary, medical, environmental, and public health professionals through integrated surveillance and One Health partnerships. The webinar witnessed enthusiastic response of around 150 participants comprising of veterinarians, physicians, microbiologists, researchers, faculty members, and students across the country.
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