Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
As China sees a spike in respiratory illnesses, several states in India have sprung into action, issuing advisories and reviewing their preparedness to tackle such illnesses, if need be.
The measures come after the Centre on Sunday asked states to review the preparedness against respiratory illnesses. “Government of India is closely monitoring the situation, and indicated that there is no need for any alarm,” a statement by the Health Ministry said.
Clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children have been reported in northern China in the past week. Authorities have attributed this to the circulation of various pathogens such as mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacteria that’s not as infectious as a virus like Covid-19.
Here’s a look at how the states have responded:
With three of its districts — Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh — sharing a border with China, Uttarakhand has issued an alert directing officials to step up surveillance in the state, news agency ANI reported.
"All the district officers and chief medical officers of the state are been directed to make adequate arrangements for isolation beds/wards, oxygen beds, ICU beds, ventilators, and oxygen cylinders for the treatment of pneumonia and influenza flu patients in their respective districts", a statement issued by the Health Secretary read.
The release directed health officials to keep a "close vigilance" on people suffering from the symptoms of the 'Severe Acute Respiratory Illness' (SARI)", and if a clustering of SARI cases are found on community level, "arrangements should be made for treatment and control of the disease".
"All the district officers and chief medical officers of the state are been directed to make adequate arrangements for isolation beds/wards, oxygen beds, ICU beds, ventilators, and oxygen cylinders for the treatment of pneumonia and influenza flu patients in their respective districts," the statement further read.
Additional Chief Secretary of Rajasthan's Medical and Health Department, Shubhra Singh, has asked officials to prepare an action plan in three days for the prevention and treatment of the disease.
Stating that the situation is "not worrisome at present", she added that the medical staff should work with full vigilance for surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases across the state, PTI reported.
She also asked authorities to appoint a nodal officer at the district and medical college levels and to form rapid response teams at the division and district level. National Health Mission Director Dr Jitendra Kumar Soni, meanwhile, stated that separate ambulances should be provided for such patients to curb the spread of the infection.
The Gujarat Health Department has issued an advisory to all civil hospitals, sub-district hospitals, Chief District Health Officers and health officers of municipal corporations to assess their preparedness to tackle such respiratory diseases, PTI reported. Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said the healthcare infrastructure created during the Covid-19 pandemic by the state and the Centre was being strengthened as a precautionary measure as well.
Karnataka Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday shared the World Health Organization's advisory over respiratory illnesses, urging people to not panic.
"I request the public to follow the instructions, know the Dos and Don’ts and take measures to prevent influenza. If symptoms aggravate, please visit your nearest Government Hospital for timely treatment. I urge the people to not panic but to take necessary precautions," he wrote on X.
The Do's and Don'ts included: covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing, washing hands and avoiding touching eyes, visiting the nearest hospital if you feel influenza-like symptoms and restricting travel, amongst others.
The Haryana government, too, has issued directions to all civil surgeons across the state to strengthen surveillance on influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) and to report “any clustering of unusual respiratory illness”.
The Haryana government has also directed that the ‘Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in context of Covid-19’ be implemented immediately.
“A demi-official (DO) letter has been received from Government of India stating that there is a report of a surge in respiratory illness among children in China in recent weeks. While the available information suggests that there is no cause for any alarm in India, but there is need to review the public health and hospital preparedness,” the letter issued to all civil surgeons stated.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
