Health emergency centre to tackle zoonotic diseases

AMID growing global concern over emerging diseases and future pandemics, the Odisha government has decided to set up a Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) for strengthening surveillance and response mechanisms for zoonotic diseases.

- HEMANT KUMAR ROUT @Bhubaneswar

The HEOC will function as a centralised command centre for coordinating with hospitals, laboratories, veterinary institutions, and field surveillance units across the state.

The initiative aims at improving early detection, monitoring and control of zoonotic diseases such as rabies, leptospirosis, anthrax, scrub typhus, rabies, avian influenza and swine flu that spread from animals to humans and pose a major threat to public health.

Sources said the HEOC will be established under Pradhan Mantri - Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) as part of the 'One Health' programme in preparedness against emerging diseases and to play part in response to disasters with health consequences as well as public health emergencies.