New Delhi, March 31
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) is planning to launch a new digital portal that will keep real-time track of rabies vaccine and anti-snake venom stocks.
The portal, developed by NCDC through its Centre for One Health with the technical support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will be launched as a pilot in five states -- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, MP, Delhi, and Puducherry.
The digital initiative will involve real-time monitoring of rabies vaccine stocks, tracking of beneficiaries, and ensuring that all doses of the rabies post-exposure prophylaxis regimen are administered in a time-bound manner.
“Digital innovation meets public health! MoHFW's NCDC and UNDP India are training master trainers to initiate the pilot for #ZooWIN -- a game-changing tech solution to streamline rabies vaccine and anti-snake venom supply chains, and track impact across states -- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, MP, Delhi, and Puducherry,†the UNDP shared in a post on social media platform X.
The NCDC, led by Director Prof. (Dr.) Ranjan Das, recently held a “training of trainers on Zoo-Win -- digital solution for zoonoses prevention -- in collaboration with UNDPâ€, in the national capital for the pilot states.
In 2024, the NCDC partnered with UNDP to launch a dedicated helpline -- 15400 -- in these five states to enhance access to rabies and snake bite-related information and treatment.
“From #ZooWIN platform to a helpline #15400 and targeted state action plans -- we're stepping up to protect lives,†UNDP said.
The ZooWIN platform is expected to centralise information and enhance collaboration among healthcare providers, municipal authorities, and veterinary services.
As per data from the UN body, every year, rabies claims over 60,000 lives globally, with India alone accounting for nearly 36 per cent of those deaths.
Rabies is one of the deadliest of the more than 200 known diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. Despite being entirely preventable, millions continue to be at risk.
Previously, UNDP collaborated with Health Ministry to develop multiple digital health solutions, such as the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) and Covid-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN). Both tech solutions have been instrumental in digitising information on vaccine stocks, registrations, immunizations, and issuing digital vaccine certificates.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is such an important initiative! My cousin had to run around 3 hospitals last year to get rabies shots after a stray dog bite. Real-time tracking will save so many lives. ðŸ™
Great to see digital solutions being applied to public health. Hope they expand this nationwide soon - snake bites are a major issue in rural areas too.
The 15400 helpline is a game changer! But will there be enough trained staff to handle calls? Implementation matters as much as the tech.
After CoWIN's success, I have high hopes for this system. UNDP and Health Ministry make a great team when it comes to digital health solutions.
As a vet, I really appreciate the One Health approach here. Animal and human health are interconnected - glad to see this recognition at policy level! ðŸ•
While the initiative is commendable, I hope they've considered internet connectivity issues in remote areas. Offline functionality would be crucial for true accessibility.
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