Doda : To celebrate World Zoonoses Day 2024, the District Surveillance Unit, IDSP under District Health Society Doda organized a debate cum awareness programme, on the transmission, control and prevention of Zoonoses at Make Shift Campus, Govt Medical College Doda.
Deputy Commissioner Doda Sh Harvinder Singh (IAS) was the Chief Guest who inaugurated the programme in presence of Chief Medical Officer Doda Dr Om Kumar, Chief Animal Husbandry Officer Dr Mayen ud Din, EO MC Doda Mr Amit Sharma, Chief Accounts Officer GMC Doda Mohd Iqbal Ganai, BMO Ghat Dr Ab Gafoor, BMO Assar Dr Shabir Dar, Dr Walied Khawar Balwan, Ranger Wildlife Kishtwar Sh Bansi Lal Bhandari, Mohd Shafi Attu and Principal ANMT Doda Mrs Anusuya Bhan, Sr Journalist Naseer Khora & Adv Sanjeev Rana.
The programme was attended by Medical Officers from different Blocks besides Paramedical Nursing Students from different Institutions of the district.
In his welcome address, District Epidemiologist Mr Umar Anayat welcomed all the guests and informed the participants that World Zoonosis Day is observed on July 6th every year to raise awareness about zoonotic diseases and their impact on human and animal health. He further said that the primary goal of World Zoonoses Day is to educate people about the risks associated with zoonotic diseases and promote measures to prevent their spread.
Other Guest Speakers from different department viz Chief Animal Husbandry Officer Doda Dr Mayen ud Din, Executive Officer Municipal Council Doda Mr Amit Sharma and Dr Walied Khawar from Community Medicine GMC Doda were the Resource Persons who educated the participants that Zoonotic diseases can have significant public health implications, causing illness, death, and economic losses. Many of these diseases originate in animals and can be transmitted to humans through various means, including direct contact, consumption of contaminated food or water, or exposure to vectors like mosquitoes and ticks” they explained.
CMO Doda Dr Om Kumar in his speech, said that this day plays a vital role in safeguarding public health and fostering a One Health approach, which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health by promoting awareness and knowledge about zoonotic diseases.
During the programme, a debate competition was also organized which was attended by 08 Paramedical Students from different Nursing Colleges and later on they were awarded the Certificate of Participation and Mementos.
Dr Ab Gafoor, Dr Sarwar Khan and Mrs Anusuya Bhan acted as Judges for the debate competition, alongside Mr Mashhood Latief who compiled the data related to the result score sheet.
Notable to mention here that, World Zoonoses Day is observed every year to honour French scientist Louis Pasteur who invented the first vaccine and spread awareness about zoonotic diseases. The theme of the day for this year was ‘Preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases’.