India is a global hotspot for endemic and emerging zoonotic diseases.
The project focuses on three neglected zoonotic diseases as key-case studies for field research: Leptospirosis, Kyasanur forest Disease and Scrub Typhus, all zoonotic diseases at high prevalence within the Western Ghats region of India, where the study is focused. Each of these focal diseases cause severe health complications and death if untreated, yet they have different transmission routes.
The project brings together policy makers and practitioners from the human health, animal health and environmental sectors together with experts from public and animal health, ecology, epidemiology and social science, with the overarching aim to reduce the health, welfare and livelihood impacts of zoonotic diseases by:
- better understanding how, why and where zoonotic diseases spillover into people and why some individuals or communities are more vulnerable to health impacts than others
- co-develop better interventions, that integrate traditional knowledge, with affected forest communities. Building the capacity of local communities to be more resilient to zoonotic diseases.