State PCS - Madhya Pradesh (MP PCS)

• 22 Nov 2025

Vishanu Sankraman Pratirodh Abhyas

Why in News?

A large-scale multi-sector mock exercise titled Vishanu Sankraman Pratirodh Abhyas was conducted in Khandwa District, Madhya Pradesh from 2nd to 5th November, 2025 to assess India’s preparedness for zoonotic disease outbreaks.

Key Points

• About the Drill:
  • The simulation focused on a Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) outbreak in humans and livestock, testing real-time investigation, pathogen detection, containment, and inter-agency coordination.
  • Major stakeholders included the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), among others.
  • The drill strengthens India’s One Health approach, emphasising the linkages between human health, animal health, and ecosystem health, and enhances integrated disease-control and pandemic-preparedness capacity.
• About Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF):
  
  • Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a viral zoonotic disease caused by the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), a Nairovirus of the Bunyaviridae family. 
    • It spreads mainly through Hyalomma ticks, contact with infected livestock (sheep, goats, cattle), or exposure to blood/tissue of infected humans.
  • CCHF is endemic across Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and South Asia, with sporadic outbreaks in India, especially in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Outbreaks are often linked to livestock movement and seasonal tick activity.
  • After an incubation period of 1–13 days, severe cases show high fever, headache, myalgia, liver involvement, and haemorrhagic symptoms. With a case fatality rate of 10–40%, it is among the most dangerous viral haemorrhagic fevers requiring strict infection-control protocols.
  • There is no approved human vaccine. Treatment relies on early detection, supportive care, and barrier nursing, while ribavirin is sometimes used though with variable evidence of benefit.