The Sentinel Surveillance Site, Department of Microbiology, Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) organized the 1st on-spot poster painting competition at the Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Phrieba, Kohima on February 17, 2025.
The competition was organised for medical, paramedical and nursing students under the theme, “Zoonotic diseases and its impact on human health”, under the aegis of the National One Health Programme for the Prevention and Control of Zoonoses (NOHPPCZ), NCDC, MoHFW, India.
Over 40 participants presented their aspect on the theme via creative posters.
Mhaphruo was named as the winner of the competition with Clara Kajiri and Atingwi Nring in second and third places, respectively.
The judges panel included eminent veterinarian, Dr. Amenla Walling, Joint Director, AH&VS, and doctors from various medical specialties from NHAK and NIMSR, Kohima.
The contest aimed at creating and promoting awareness on emerging and endemic zoonotic diseases prevalent in India like scrub typhus, leptospirosis, rabies, brucellosis and cysticercosis, to name a few. Globally, zoonotic diseases cause 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million human deaths worldwide each year.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Margaret Yhome, Nodal officer for Sentinel Surveillance Site (SSS), NHAK, NOHPPCZ said, the concept of “One Health” emphasized on the close relatedness between humans, animals and the environment in zoonotic disease transmission.
Zoonotic diseases, being transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans pose a threat not only to the health of humans and animals but also to global health security.
Therefore, Dr. Yhome said awareness and early detection was crucial in controlling and preventing zoonoses to protect communities and minimize associated socio-economic losses.