The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to formulate a comprehensive action plan to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases, which are transmitted from animals to humans, through early detection and coordinated surveillance.According to a press release issued by the Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare, the action plan will identify zoonotic diseases that pose a significant risk to public health and outline measures to prevent their transmission to humans.As part of the initiative, a three-day workshop, organised by the State Health Department with support from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO), began in Vijayawada on Tuesday.Officials from the Departments of Health, Animal Husbandry, Forests, Environment, Agriculture, and Fisheries, along with medical and veterinary experts, representatives of academic institutions, and partner organisations, discussed zoonotic diseases that require immediate attention.The officials will prepare a priority list after assessing diseases based on their severity, the risk they pose to public health, and the availability of preventive measures. During the workshop, participants reviewed an initial list of 45 diseases, including scrub typhus, anthrax, histoplasmosis, dengue, Zika, yellow fever, COVID-19, and rabies.The participants also suggested measures to strengthen surveillance systems for early detection of diseases in humans and animals, enhance the capacity of diagnostic laboratories, improve inter-departmental coordination, train medical and veterinary personnel, and increase community awareness.At the end of the three-day workshop, the participants will finalise the State’s priority list of zoonotic diseases and prepare recommendations on prevention, surveillance, laboratory testing, and response strategies, which will form part of the State action plan.Director of Animal Husbandry Damodar Naidu, NCDC Assistant Director Sukarma Tanwar, and officials from the Health and other departments participated in the workshop. Published - July 28, 2026 09:25 pm IST