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Communicable diseases, animal health and One Health

Infectious disease in people and animals and the surveillance that catches it: outbreaks, zoonoses, neglected tropical diseases, livestock disease, and the international rules for pandemics. Prelims has asked which disease the H1N1 virus is linked to and whether viruses spread only through vectors.

UPSC has asked

  • Prelims 2013: whether viruses spread only through biological vectors

Showing 2 of 11 subjects, those that changed from 1 to 15 July 2026.Show all

Zoonoses action plan

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Prelims and Mains

The National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses is built on the One Health approach and names ten priority zoonoses, from anthrax and brucellosis to Nipah, rabies and Zika, with each State to write its own plan on the same lines.

What changed

  1. 6 Jul 2026New subject

    • A draft National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, built on the One Health approach, has been prepared, and States will write their own plans on the same lines.
    • The ten priority zoonoses are anthrax, brucellosis, Kyasanur Forest Disease, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Nipah, mpox, rabies, leptospirosis, scrub typhus and Zika.

    PIB, 6 Jul 2026: Government Launches Learning Resource Package and E-Learning Modules to Strengthen Zoonotic Disease Surveillance and Response (opens in a new tab)

Pandemic Agreement: pathogen access and benefit sharing

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Prelims

The Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system links the sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential to the sharing of the vaccines, tests and treatments made from them, and is the annex left unfinished when the WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted in May 2025.

What changed

  1. 9 Jul 2026New subject

    • Member states of the World Health Organization began a seventh round of talks on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, the annex left unfinished when the Pandemic Agreement was adopted in May 2025.
    • The system links the sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential to the sharing of vaccines, tests and treatments made from them, and is the main dispute between wealthy and developing countries.
    • The talks opened during an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that had spread into Uganda.

    The Hindu, 9 Jul 2026: Countries try again to seal pandemic treaty after Ebola jolt (opens in a new tab)