- Why in news
- On 3 July 2026, DAHD wrapped up Pashujanya Yudh Abhyas, the third national mock drill under the National One Health Mission, held at Khari village, Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh) from 29 June.
- What it is
- The National One Health Mission is a government effort to coordinate animal health, human health, wildlife and environment agencies on zoonotic diseases. One Health treats the health of people, animals and ecosystems as linked. Mock drills such as Pashujanya Yudh Abhyas test how these agencies work together from first alert to containment.
- Drill
- Pashujanya Yudh Abhyas is the third national-level mock drill under the National One Health Mission.
- Place and dates
- It was held at Khari village, Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh, over five days from 29 June to 3 July 2026.
- Scenario
- The scenario was an Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak in animals with potential spillover to humans and wildlife.
- Response team
- Experts from animal health, human health and wildlife worked under the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT).
- BSL-3 labs
- Laboratories of the National BSL-3 Network took part, namely ICAR-NIHSAD, Bhopal and AIIMS Bhopal.
Don’t confuse with One Health approach vs National One Health Mission: One Health is the concept linking human, animal and environmental health. The Mission is the government programme that puts it into practice.
Why it matters
- Most emerging human infections are zoonotic, so joint animal-human-wildlife readiness lowers the risk of epidemics.
- Drills expose gaps in surveillance, lab links and communication before a real outbreak.
Problems
- Weak coordination between health, veterinary, forest and district departments.
- Limited veterinary and field epidemiology capacity, and uneven lab reach below the state level.
Way forward
- Act on the gaps found in the debrief and repeat drills across states.
- Build shared surveillance and data systems across animal and human health, and train field staff.
- 2020Mains GS2 · Q9Critically examine WHO's role in global health security during Covid-19
- 2015Mains GS4 · Q11Ethics of developing a veterinary drug for a human liver disease, given R&D costs
- 2014Mains GS3 · Q11Whether antibiotic overuse drives drug-resistant diseases, and how India monitors and controls it
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting topic with a mock drill; few distinct facts to build a question.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.