Disease outbreaks are inevitable, but pandemics can be prevented: Ganapathi

Speaking at a plenary discussion on the theme "One Health and Pandemic Preparedness," Sindura Ganapathi, from the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India (GoI), emphasised that while disease outbreaks are inevitable, they can be prevented from escalating into pandemics. He highlighted the importance of systems for early detection, raising awareness, conducting investigations, sampling diseases, and using specialised and general laboratories for analysis.

  “India is developing a comprehensive system by involving 40 departments spanning human health, livestock, wildlife, defence, and research and development (R&D) organisations to tackle outbreaks. Even with vaccines available to prevent diseases, efficient R&D and robust supply chains for diagnostics and therapeutics are essential,” added Ganapathi.  Speaking at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2024, themed 'Unbound,' Ganapathi stressed the importance of remaining grounded in today's challenges to ensure vigilance and responsiveness in decision-making.  “This is how we, the Government of India, are currently operating. There are 22 Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) and Level 4 (BSL-4) labs functioning as a network. These labs are designed to be interchangeable, bringing complementary capabilities, standardising processes, and more. While we have made progress in some areas, there is still a long way to go,” he noted.  Ganapathi also underscored India's strong track record in vaccine manufacturing, calling R&D and the development of novel candidates significant opportunities for further advancement.  “India’s journey to One Health has revolutionised technology to some extent. We are addressing human health, animal health, environmental health, and climate. However, a challenge remains in integrating data from various sectors into a single platform,” said Pavana Murthy, Act Team Lead, WHO Health Emergencies Program.  Murthy pointed out that 70 per cent of disease outbreaks originate from animals. The ongoing outbreaks in the country include the Nipah virus, monkeypox, and Chandipura virus.  With support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of India, efforts have been directed at developing platforms like ‘One Health’ and enhancing logistics. Murthy further highlighted that several national programmes have been aligned to establish the first integrated surveillance system, which aims to expand data flow systems and improve monitoring capabilities.