A national mock drill titled ‘Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas’ (Virus War Exercise) was conducted under the guidance of National One Health Mission (NOHM) in Rajasthan’s Ajmer from 27th August to 31st August to assess pandemic preparedness, said Union Health Ministry on Tuesday.

This exercise aimed to evaluate the readiness and response of the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) composed of experts from human health, animal husbandry and wildlife sectors, it said, adding, a mock zoonotic disease outbreak scenario was created to simulate a real-world outbreak.

The Health Ministry informed that the drill involved multiple stakeholders, including National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Rajasthan State Administration, State Directorate of Health Services (DHS), State Veterinary Department and State Forest Department, AIIMS Jodhpur BSL-3 Lab (one of the 19 National BSL-3 Network Laboratories) District Administration, Chief District Medical Officer and District Veterinary Officer.

“The drill was structured around two key components- investigation and identification of the virus responsible for the mock outbreak and actions initiated to control the spread of illness across human and animal populations. Independent observers monitored the response,” it said.

The Health Ministry said the response of the district and state teams, directed by NJORT, was found to be mostly prompt and appropriate. The exercise also identified some areas requiring further improvement.

The Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas was a successful exercise that provided valuable insights to inform future strategies to enhance India’s preparedness and response to zoonotic disease outbreaks, fostering a coordinated and efficient approach across all relevant sectors, it said.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda appreciated this first-of-its kind exercise, highlighting the role of One Health Mission by fostering collaborations to address health of humans, animals and plants and environment holistically and in a sustainable manner, it added.