On the 28th of November in New Delhi, PREZODE held its first scientific meeting with members in India, supported by the French Embassy. This meeting, organised at the French Institute in India, gathered 16 researchers from member Institutions in India along with representants of the Indian government, the French Embassy and PREZODE Initiative.
Dr Zeev Noga, PREZODE General Secretary and Dr Elsa Léger, Science Officer of PREZODE, gathered inputs from Indian PREZODE partners through targeted presentations and a roundtable discussion focusing on region-specific challenges and future perspectives in preventing zoonosis emergence. Synergies were identified with the National One Health Mission in India regarding approaches for early detection of Disease X and the need for refining early-warning surveillance systems and develop infrastructures and intersectoral collaboration. The participants highlighted the need to address wildlife health and risk of spillover, strengthen biosecurity but also to better engage communities through education, training and capacity building
By bringing together diverse stakeholders, we hoped to strengthen a scientific One Health network and create a collaborative platform for advancing research in zoonotic diseases prevention, not forgetting parasitic diseases, capacity building, policy-making and promoting sustainable practices, ultimately contributing to stronger global health security.
This meeting provided an opportunity to explore the involvement and contributions of Indian members to PREZODE’s missions and activities. The event concluded with promising prospects for future collaborations with PREZODE members and partners in the country.