Regional Workshop Strengthens One Health Collaboration on Kyasanur Forest Disease

07 Mar, 2026

Panjim, Goa recently hosted a vibrant Regional Workshop on Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), bringing together leading experts, policymakers, scientists, and health officials from across India. The workshop created an energetic platform for dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration aimed at strengthening the country’s preparedness against zoonotic diseases.

The workshop was organised under the Indo-German project titled “One Health and Agroecology”. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Goa and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

The project includes a pilot intervention in Goa titled “Reducing the risk of KFD transmission to foresters and communities living near forests, as well as to monkeys”. KFD is a viral disease mainly transmitted through the bite of ticks infected with the KFD virus. The disease has been reported in States along the Western Ghats and affects mainly humans and some monkey species which can develop disease symptoms like fever, muscle pain and vomiting. The initiative focuses on reducing the risk of disease transmission through improved surveillance, agroecological practices, and active community participation.

Around 50 key stakeholders participated in the workshop. These included representatives from the veterinary, health, and forest departments, along with policy experts, public sector officials, field practitioners, and scientific researchers.

Participants travelled from Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra - the five States most affected by KFD, widely known as “Monkey Fever”. The gathering offered a valuable opportunity for participants to exchange experiences, highlight regional challenges, and share practical solutions to strengthen surveillance, prevention, and response mechanisms across the Western Ghats.

The discussions throughout the workshop reflected a strong spirit of collaboration, with experts and practitioners actively engaging with one another to address one of the region’s zoonotic disease threats.

Reinforcing the One Health Approach

KFD continues to pose a significant public health challenge in forested regions. Given that the disease is transmitted by ticks which are abundant in their natural environment, and that it affects both humans and wildlife, the One Health approach is highly relevant for its management. The One Health approach recognises the close links between human health, animal health, and environmental conditions, and encourages collaboration across sectors to better prevent, detect, and respond to zoonotic diseases.

Through the One Health and Agroecology project, stakeholders are demonstrating in practice how integrated strategies can reduce the risk of KFD transmission while promoting environmentally sustainable land-use practices that support both community well-being and ecological balance.

Launch of a Manual on Tick Surveillance and Identification

A major highlight of the workshop was the official launch of the “Manual on Tick Surveillance”. The manual provides practical guidance for field personnel on how to collect and identify tick species that are known carriers of the KFD virus, and how to prepare them for viral diagnostic in the laboratory. It serves as an important resource for forest staff, health officials, and researchers working in affected regions.

By strengthening field-level monitoring and supporting the early detection of diseasecarrying ticks, the manual is expected to play an important role in improving the management and prevention of KFD.

Field Visit Demonstrates Community-Level Action

On 6th March, a day before the workshop, around 35 participants undertook a field visit to Thane Dongurli Village Panchayat in Sattari Taluka, North Goa, which is part of the project implementation area.

The visit offered participants an opportunity to experience the project’s work on the ground. They interacted with a Village Panchayat-level One Health Group established under the project and engaged with a local cashew producer who practices agroecological farming methods.

The field visit showcased how sustainable land-use practices, community awareness, and local leadership can help reduce tick populations and disease transmission. Thereby, participants gained a deeper appreciation of how community-led initiatives can play a vital role in protecting both public health and local livelihoods.

Expert Perspectives and Inter-State Knowledge Exchange

The workshop featured insightful presentations and lively discussions from several national experts and institutional representatives.

Key stakeholders from the National level included Dr. Darshan Narayanaswamy from the National One Health Mission (NOHM) under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and Dr. Vivek Kumar Saroj, Livestock Officer from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Government of India.

Prominent scientific experts such as Dr. Ashwin Ashok Raut (ICAR – National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases), Dr. Mudassar Chanda (ICAR – National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Bengaluru), Dr. Kavitha Saravu (Kasturba Medical College, Manipal), Dr. Utpal Tatu (Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru), Dr. Srikanth (ICMR – Vector Control Research Centre), and Deepak Patil (National Institute of One Health) shared valuable research findings and field experiences related to tick surveillance and the epidemiology of Kyasanur Forest Disease.

The exchange of ideas fostered meaningful dialogue and highlighted the importance of cross-State collaboration in addressing zoonotic disease threats.

Voices from the Workshop

Building on Regional Experience

The workshop also reflected on lessons from earlier regional initiatives, including a high-level consultation hosted by Karnataka in August 2019 following the Aralagodu outbreak. That consultation highlighted the importance of coordinated surveillance, data sharing, and rapid response mechanisms across affected states.

The Way Forward

The workshop concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen collaboration among States affected by Kyasanur Forest Disease.

Participants emphasised the need to enhance capacity-building initiatives, improve risk communication, and develop coordinated operational guidelines for surveillance and response.

Through continued partnerships and the institutionalisation of the One Health approach, the One Health and Agroecology Project aims to strengthen India’s preparedness against zoonotic diseases while safeguarding both public health and the ecological balance of the Western Ghats.

For more information contact: biodiv.india@giz.de