Strengthening One Health system through capacity building in three western states of India

The global burden of zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases is substantial, with an estimated 2.5 billion cases and 2.7 million deaths each year. The One Health framework’s multisectoral, transdisciplinary approach is necessary to address these issues. In this context, the “One Health System Strengthening in India (OHSSIN)” project aimed to build the capacity of healthcare professionals in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, three western Indian states that are often at the forefront of zoonotic disease challenges. This study focused on organised training sessions designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of participants from diverse sectors, including environmental, animal, and human health. The training employed a pre-post study design to evaluate participants’ knowledge gains, providing insights into the intervention’s effectiveness. The training sessions were carefully designed to be engaging and interactive, employing creative methodologies to facilitate learning. The content focused on key One Health concepts, effective risk communication strategies, and critical competencies required to tackle zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases. A total of 649 participants were part of the study, out of which around 60% were females. Most participants (77.50%) were from the human health department. The findings of the knowledge assessment indicate an increase in the number of correct responses across all questions/statements. The results demonstrated a statistically significant increase in mean knowledge scores, increasing from 54.77% before training to 62.41% after training (p < 0.0001). While the results demonstrated notable progress in several areas, some domains, such as community-level zoonotic disease prevention, showed only modest improvement. These findings underscore the importance of designing specialised, ongoing capacity-building programs tailored to address specific knowledge deficits. Strengthening the One Health workforce through such initiatives is essential for enhancing preparedness, improving response capabilities, and fostering collaborative efforts to effectively manage zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases. This study highlights the transformative potential of the One Health approach to create a more resilient and informed public health workforce equipped to address the challenges posed by zoonotic diseases.