Govt plans cell to detect outbreaks
NEWDELHI:The Union health ministry is setting up a special surveillance cell for epidemic-prone diseases in flood-ravaged Bihar, which has reported at least 1,000 cases of dengue so far this year, officials said.
The move is aimed detecting early signs of disease outbreaks. Nearly 200 dengue patients have been receiving treatment in various hospitals since September 28 when heavy rain pounded the state.
The surveillance cell will also look for signs of acute encephalitis and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) to assist the central government-run Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), which already runs a unit in the state to monitor disease outbreaks.
The health ministry on Friday sent a team of experts from National Institute of Malaria Research, National Centre for Disease Control, among others, to Bihar to assist in managing patients and controlling the spread of infection.
“The IDSP state unit will be strengthened to focus specifically on common diseases being frequently reported from the state that tend to take epidemic proportions. It will be over and above of what the state unit does. A nodal officer has been identified to run this cell,” said Sanjeeva Kumar, special secretary (health), health ministry, who visited Bihar on Friday.
To deal with the current outbreak, a central control room has been created in the state to report daily updates.
Apart from the current dengue outbreak, Bihar also reported a high number of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and JE cases this year, which claimed the lives of at least 150 children so far.
The central team of experts that also has people from the emergency medical relief department are conducting field visits in the affected areas.
Three rapid response teams have been created to respond to any emergency situation. In 2018, Bihar reported 2,142 dengue cases; in 2017, 1,854 people tested positive; and in 2016, the figure stood at 1,912.
APART FROM THE CURRENT DENGUE OUTBREAK, BIHAR ALSO REPORTED A HIGH NUMBER OF AES AND JE CASES THIS YEAR