Centre advises States to conduct sero-prevalence surveys with ICMR

The Union Government has advised all States/UTs to conduct sero-prevalence surveys in consultation with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to generate district-level data on sero-prevalence which is essential in formulating localised public health response measures. The Union Health Ministry has referred to the findings of the 4th round of National SeroPrevalence Survey done by ICMR and has advised the States to conduct the sero-prevalence studies in their own States/UTs in consultation with ICMR, so that such studies follow a standardised protocol, and the findings of such studies can then be utilised quickly by the respective State/ UT to guide objective, transparent and evidence-based public health response to COVID-19. It has been pointed out that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has conducted the recent National Sero-survey in 70 districts of India. According to the survey, the highest seroprevalence of 79 per cent was observed in Madhya Pradesh, while the lowest at 44.4 per cent was found in Kerala.