thrissur a centre of excellence coe in one health is likely to be set up at the kerala veterinary and animal sciences university kvasu against the backdrop of the rising zoonotic diseases transmitted from animals to human beings the kerala state higher education council has approved the proposal and is awaiting finance departments nod if executed properly the coe will be capable of unravelling the patterns of spread of diseases like covid nipah rabies ebola and monkeypox and in turn framing strategies for their mitigation the concept of one health owes its origin to the understanding that human animal and ecosystem health are interconnected and there is an urgent need for experts from respective fields to work together to address emerging problems at the interface according to official sourcesthe transdisciplinary collaboration envisaged in this new concept entails the joint working of experts from diverse areas including anthropology sociology economics political science and climatology apart from medical and veterinary sciencesthe proposed centre of excellence in one health western ghats biodiversity wildlifehuman interface and zoonotic diseases is to be located at kvasus centre for wildlife studies pookode however the coe is conceived as an autonomous institution though it will retain an umbilical cord relation with the kvasuthe sources said the coe is expected to undertake research at the grassroots level with the involvement of local communities on all matters related to the humanwildlife interface in the western ghats the focus will be on biodiversity and ecosystem health as determinants of human health and sustainable development challenges due to climate change humanwild animal interactions and emerging infectious diseases of wild animal origin zoonotic diseases sources saidphase i of the project will entail an investment of rs 30 crore and is expected to be funded through kiifb phase i proposes to establish basic infrastructure for the coe by adding to the existing facilities at the kvasu pookode campus