Dr Mohan Sharma, Microbiologist, presenting on the theme of the World Zoonoses Day 2026 at the School of Nursing, District Hospital Tuensang on July 6.
Tuensang, July 6 (MExN): An awareness programme on zoonotic diseases was organised at the School of Nursing, District Hospital Tuensang, on July 6 to mark World Zoonoses Day 2026, with a call for community participation in preventing animal-to-human disease transmission.
The event, themed “Working Together: Preventing Zoonoses through Community Action,” was hosted by the NOHP-PCZ Sentinel Surveillance Site and witnessed active participation from over 70 student nurses, healthcare workers and staff members.
World Zoonoses Day is observed annually on July 6 to commemorate the first successful rabies vaccine administered by French microbiologist Louis Pasteur on this day in 1885, a landmark achievement in the fight against diseases transmitted from animals to humans.
Dr Tochi Chang, Nodal Officer of the project, delivered the welcome address and underscored the significance of the observance while elaborating on the role of the NOHP-PCZ in surveillance and disease control.
Dr Mohan Sharma, Microbiologist at the Integrated Molecular Diagnostics and Research Laboratory (BSL-2), District Hospital Tuensang, presented the theme talk and highlighted the crucial role of community members in curbing the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases.
Undergraduate interns from Tinsukia College, Assam, associated with the BSL-2 Lab, also participated in the programme and shared their knowledge on specific zoonotic diseases, including Scrub typhus, Japanese Encephalitis, and Leptospirosis.
The session witnessed an interactive exchange, providing a valuable learning opportunity for nursing students, who actively engaged in discussions to make the programme impactful.
Earlier, Sungjemmenla Thonger, Laboratory Technician under the project, chaired the programme. The vote of thanks was proposed by Dekhingridi Sangtam, BSL-2 Technician.
