The programme aims to strengthen the capacity of key stakeholders across human, animal, and environmental
health sectors to ensure effective public health action. The Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA)
and State Health Systems Resource Centre-Kerala (SHSRC-K) serve as the Nodal Agencies for stakeholder capacity
building. This comprehensive approach includes specialized training programmes, conferences, and establishing
linkages with international One Health platforms to enhance capabilities at all stakeholder levels.
The One Health Programme is committed to strengthening the capacity to track and respond to zoonotic
disease outbreaks effectively. A crucial step towards this goal is the implementation of a Community
Based Surveillance System (CBS) alongside the existing formal surveillance mechanism by the end of
the programme's third year. The CBS offers a crucial advantage by creating direct communication channels
between communities and health authorities. This approach ensures that unusual health events or changes
in community health status are promptly reported, effectively giving communities an active voice in
public health monitoring. Through this enhanced communication network, potential epidemics can be
detected earlier and addressed rapidly, often preventing outbreaks before they gain momentum.
12
District Mentors/District
7
Community Mentors/ Ward or Division
7
Community Volunteers/Community Mentors
To enhance disease surveillance, the One Health Programme will strengthen selected human and
animal health laboratories, as well as Prevention of Epidemics and Infectious Diseases Cells
(PEID cells). Key components include infrastructure development and staff capacity building for
data analysis and informed decision-making at all levels to ensure adequate responses. Furthermore,
the programme envisions establishing an ongoing surveillance, detection, and intervention system
for effective outbreak cause monitoring, detailed analysis, and timely responses.
Intersectoral collaboration, a key element of Primary Health Care and vital for disease prevention in complex
systems, is a central tenet of the One Health approach. This approach will enhance primary care by establishing
such collaboration at the human-animal-environment interface. The programme will institutionalise strong,
ongoing, and mutually beneficial coordination among stakeholders through planned efforts at multiple levels,
such as forming One Health Committees with relevant sectoral officials to oversee implementation.
The One Health Programme prioritizes public understanding and active participation through strategically planned
communication initiatives. Collaborating with various partner departments, the programme will disseminate tailored
information to reach all segments of the community. Empowering community leaders, elected officials, and programme
managers as agents of change is another key objective, achieved through providing them with relevant programme
details and implications. To ensure broad awareness of the One Health Programme's components, a multi-faceted
communication approach will be employed, encompassing interpersonal communication, small group engagement, and
mass and mid-media campaigns.
The programme will undertake relevant research to understand threats to One Health, inform effective responses,
and assess the status of public health systems to optimize their effectiveness in achieving programme goals.
