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Old-World Virus, New Tricks: Inside Kerala’s Quest To Contain The Deadly Nipah Virus SEE in full: https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2018/05/24/old-world-virus-new-tricks-inside-kerala-s-quest-to-contain-the-deadly-nipah-virus_a_23443118/   ...The animal health department is collecting samples of rats, bats and other species to find the Nipah reservoir host. Samples are being analyzed by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal. This is a very good example of the One Health approach, where animal and human health and public health, the administration, state government, central government all coming together and containing this outbreak, said Arunkumar of Manipal.   “... Almost three-fourths of all diseases that afflict humans originate in animals, and a new zoonosis has been emerging or re-emerging every year. SARS, MERS-CoV, Ebola and H5N1 have all sparked fear and cost the global economy tens of billions of dollars.   In the early 2000s, a trio of scientists in the U.S. recognized that animal and human health are intricately connected. They advocated for a One Health approach that integrates human health, animal health, agriculture and the environment to respond to and avoid outbreaks. Few nations have so far taken a pro-active approach to stopping animal-to-human transmission before they happen, according to various studies. Health systems, including Indias, are focused instead on stopping pandemics, through quarantine, drugs and vaccines.   The animal health department is collecting samples of rats, bats and other species to find the Nipah reservoir host. Samples are being analyzed by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.   Some aspects of the approach found takers in India in 2005 following an H5N1 avian flu outbreak. For the first time, animal, environment, wildlife and human health departments coordinated to monitor and develop avian influenza contingency plans. South Asia, and India in particular, is a hotspot for emerging and re-emerging zoonosis due to its tropical forests, high biodiversity, high poverty rate and a large number of people living in close proximity to animals.   Since then, the Indian government has been setting up a network of virus detection labs. With help from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it has set up more Biosafety Level- 3 and 4 labs where scientists can safely study the most dangerous viruses. ...”