ISLAMABAD, Feb 15 (APP):Prof Dr Shahzad Ali Khan, Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Health Services Academy (HSA), has emphasized that pandemics and disease outbreaks frequently emerge at the human-animal-environment interface, making an integrated “One Health” approach essential for national security.
Speaking at the conclusion of a specialized training program, he remarked that outbreak response cannot be achieved in isolation and requires seamless collaboration between human health, livestock, agriculture, and environmental sectors.
The two-day capacity-building training was organized by the Health Services Academy in collaboration with the Pak One Health Alliance and the National Agricultural Research Council (NARC). Conducted under the project “One Health Workforce Development and Coordination towards Pandemic Readiness,” the initiative focused on strengthening the Livestock and Agrifood sectors of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
A total of 34 frontline professionals, including veterinary officers, field assistants, and technical staff from the ICT Livestock Department, participated in the sessions. As the first line of defense, these individuals are directly responsible for disease surveillance, vaccination, and reporting. The training aimed to equip them with the necessary skills to detect and contain zoonotic threats before they escalate into large-scale public health emergencies.
Prof Dr Tariq Mahmood Ali, National Coordinator for the One Health Workforce Development (OHWD) project, provided a technical overview, noting that nearly 70% of emerging infectious diseases in humans originate from animals.
He highlighted that HSA has already trained over 100 professionals across various sectors under this framework, creating a resilient district-level workforce capable of early warning and rapid response.
The comprehensive curriculum covered the epidemiology of infectious diseases and transmission fundamentals, infection prevention, control, risk communication, Rapid Response Team (RRT) functioning, emergency planning, and One Health surveillance and epidemic intelligence.
The program concluded at the NARC Community Hall with interactive group work and practical assessments, where experts from HSA and partner institutions reaffirmed that sustained investment in multisectoral collaboration is the only way to safeguard Pakistan against future epidemics.
Consequently, the 34 newly trained professionals expressed their commitment to applying these integrated strategies to protect public health at the grassroots level.