One health approach in the management of gastro-intestinal parasitism in hilly terrain with reference to the animals of van Gujjar community Sankar Muthu1,*, Yashica KA1, Tiwari Vinay Kishor1, Neethu CS1, Tripathy Amit Kumar2, Gupta Parag2, Jha Abhijit2, Sharma Devendra5, Singh Sushil Kumar3, Sharma Aruna3, Kumar Prem5, Bhardwaj Nidhish2, Kumar Manish2, Malik Praveen4, Mitra Abhijit3, Singh RK2,** 1Parasitology Division, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar-243122, Uttar Pradesh, India 2One Health Support Unit, O/o Animal Husbandry Commissioner, DAHD, GoI 3Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi-110001, India 4Agri Innovate, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), NASC Complex, DPS Marg, Pusa, New Delhi-110012, India 5Animal Husbandry Department, Pashudhan Bhawan, Mothrowala, Dehradun-248115, Uttarakhand, India *Corresponding author E-mail id: drsankarm@gmail.com
**rks_virology@rediffmail.com
Onilne Published on 8 March, 2024. Abstract Pastoral transhumance is a system followed by nomadic farmers in Uttarakhand and adjoining Himalayan states, with their livelihood centered around milk and milk products. Various factors, such as extreme climatic conditions, animal diseases, nutritional deficiencies, fodder scarcity, poor herd management, and inadequate veterinary and extension services, can adversely impact the health and production of their livestock. Gastro-intestinal parasitism (GIP) is a widespread and economically significant infection in ruminants. In the transhumance hilly pastoral farming system, mortality losses due to diseases are generally lower, except in severe outbreaks of contagious disea ses. However, parasitism remains the single biggest cause of morbidity. Intelligent attention to identify various management practices is crucial for the sustainability of the transhumance pastoral farming system. Applying appropriate livestock disease management practices, with “One Health” approaches like “Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHPs),” f arm biosecurity, “Good Animal Grazing Practices (GAGPs),” and “Good Animal Farm Management (GAFM),” can significantly reduce the disease burden in animals, thereby minimizing the zoonotic diseases burden in humans. Achieving this goal requires proper GIP epidemiology along with anthelmintic resistance monitoring. Additionally, it is essential to validate the ethnoveterinary practices of the Van Gujjar community by employing appropriate scientific procedures. Top Keywords Gastrointestinal parasitism, One health, Transhumance, Pastoral system, Van Gujjars. Top |