A strikingly high prevalence of anaemia among Koya and Gond tribal communities in Telangana has emerged as a key concern during a recent ‘One Health’ outreach held in Laxmidevipally mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district. The finding, observed during clinical examinations and field assessments, has brought renewed attention to long-standing health inequities in some of the most remote forested regions in the State.
The outreach was organised jointly by the ICAR-National Meat Research Institute (NMRI), Hyderabad, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Bibinagar, under the All India Network Programme on ‘One Health Approach to Prevent Zoonotic Diseases’ and the National One Health Programme for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses. The camp aimed at strengthening preventive health awareness, extending essential medical services and building zoonotic disease surveillance systems among particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs).
“The initiative serves as a crucial bridge between scientific research and community realities, enabling early detection of diseases, stronger health literacy and trust-based engagement,” said Rahul Narang, who heads the department of Microbiology and serves as regional coordinator for One Health.
