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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 3 of 11 subjects, those that changed from 1 to 15 September 2026.Show all
Influenza A (H1N1)
Copy link to Influenza A (H1N1)Prelims and Mains
Subtypes of influenza A are named for two proteins on the virus surface, haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). H1N1 is the pairing that caused the 2009 pandemic, and it did not go away afterwards but settled into the seasonal mix.
- By 3 September 2026 seasonal influenza had surged across India, with H1N1 reported from several cities.
- This season's vaccine matched the circulating H1N1 strain, but uptake is low.
What changed
UPSC has asked
- Prelims 2015: the disease the H1N1 virus is linked to
See also: Influenza surveillance
Influenza surveillance
Copy link to Influenza surveillancePrelims and Mains
The surge was the first real test of the surveillance India built after COVID-19. What it exposed is a system that watches continuously without ever having to declare that anything has begun.
- An integrated command structure was proposed to replace that split.
- Surges are compared fairly by incidence rather than by raw case counts.
- Wastewater surveillance can give early warning of a novel pathogen.
Testing
- Influenza like illness and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) samples tested year round
- No alert thresholds
Coordination
- Split between ICMR, NCDC and the States
Treatment
- Under 10 per cent of admitted patients get antivirals
What changed
3 Sep 2026
21 Jul 2026Update
- The Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory network has grown to 163 laboratories, with four regional sequencing hubs and wastewater surveillance for early detection.
- Dengue is tracked through 887 sentinel hospitals and 27 apex laboratories, and a programme for leptospirosis strengthens surveillance and early antibiotic treatment.
PIB, 21 Jul 2026: Coordination mechanisms between Central and State health authorities during public health emergencies have been strengthened and tested through simulation exercises and mock drills (opens in a new tab) · PIB, 28 Jul 2026: Focused Interventions for Dengue, Malaria, Diarrhoea and Leptospirosis Supported by PPCL, STOP Diarrhoea Campaign and Flood Preparedness Measures (opens in a new tab)
Background reading: Frontline, 8 Sep 2026: Public health is political: Brian Wahl (opens in a new tab)
See also: Influenza A (H1N1)
Lumpy skin disease
Copy link to Lumpy skin diseasePrelims
Lumpy skin disease reached India's cattle in 2019 and has not left, so the work against it is surveillance and vaccination rather than a declared end to it. Because an insect carries it from animal to animal, control has to work on the vector as much as on the sick animal.
- India's first cases were recorded in West Bengal and Odisha in 2019.
- The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying reported that cases have come sporadically since July 2026, mainly in unvaccinated animals.
- It has strengthened surveillance, vaccination and disease control in response.
Pathogen
- A virus of the genus Capripoxvirus
- Same group as sheeppox and goatpox
Spread
- Biting flies
- Mosquitoes
- Ticks
Effects
- Generally low mortality
- Does not infect humans
Control
- Ring vaccination
- Movement control and vector control
- Isolation of sick animals
- Quarantine of new animals
What changed
8 Sep 2026
8 Sep 2026
- Lumpi-ProVacInd, the indigenous vaccine, was developed jointly by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar.
- More than 36 crore cattle had been vaccinated or revaccinated by 8 September 2026.