India to get $25 million grant for strengthening animal health system

India is among the very few countries which has got funding for safeguarding animal health

India will receive $25 million from the G20 Pandemic Fund to strengthen the country's animal health system.

The fund, established under Indonesia's G20 Presidency, is aimed at low-to-middle-income countries, financing efforts such as surveillance, research, and improved access to vaccines, among other measures.

Sources disclosed that India had requested approximately $55 million from the Pandemic Fund, of which $25 million was allocated for animal health, and the remaining sum was for human health. The animal health component has been approved.

India is among a limited number of countries that have received funding specifically for safeguarding animal health.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the G20 Pandemic Fund has endorsed India's $25-million proposal for bolstering animal health security in the country for pandemic preparedness and response.

 

The primary interventions to be undertaken under the proposal include: enhancing and integrating disease surveillance and early warning systems; upgrading and expanding the laboratory network; improving interoperable data systems; and building capacity for data analytics for risk analysis and risk communication, the ministry stated.

Other interventions involve strengthening health security for transboundary animal diseases and enhancing India's role in regional cooperation through cross-border collaboration.

The Pandemic Fund has received about 350 Expressions of Interest (EoI) and 180 full proposals in its first call, with grant requests totalling more than $2.5 billion, compared to available funds of just $338 million.

On July 20, the Pandemic Fund's Governing Board approved 19 grants under its inaugural round of funding allocations, aimed at enhancing resilience to future pandemics across 37 countries in six regions, the ministry added.

The Pandemic Fund will provide additional dedicated resources for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. It will also encourage increased investments, foster coordination among partners, and act as a platform for advocacy.

The impact of the project will likely reduce the risk that a pathogen will emerge from animals (both domesticated and wildlife) to be transmitted into the human population, potentially endangering the health, nutritional security, and livelihoods of vulnerable groups.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as the lead implementing entity, along with The World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), according to the ministry.

The severe human, economic, and social toll of COVID-19 has emphasised the pressing need for coordinated efforts to construct more robust one-health systems and secure extra resources for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

In recent decades, five out of the six public health emergencies of international concern declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) were of animal origin. As a result, it has become clear that pandemic preparedness and response (PPR) requires a 'One Health' approach, focusing on animal health security, the ministry further noted.