NEW DELHI: Several states, including Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka, have sprung into action and put their healthcare infrastructure on alert after the Centre issued a directive to review preparedness in the wake of a surge in respiratory illnesses, especially among children, in China. The other states that have put their health infrastructure on alert mode include Haryana and Uttarakhand.
The Centre on Sunday issued a directive asking the states to be alert and to review their preparedness to tackle such illnesses. Following the advisory, several states stepped up their surveillance and reviewed their hospital preparedness.
In Rajasthan, the state medical and health department directed its personnel to stay vigilant and set up rapid response teams. It also asked its officials to devise a plan for preventing and treating the disease. The state has instructed its officials to prepare an action plan and appoint nodal officers at district and medical college levels, and also establish rapid response teams at division and district levels. The state is also set to carry out a mock drill to ascertain the capacity of its health facilities.
The Gujarat health department issued a similar advisory to all government-run hospitals and private health facilities. Gujarat health and family welfare minister Rushikesh Patel said the state has inspected oxygen tanks, ventilators and the availability of beds.
The Karnataka health department has also issued an advisory advising people to be cautious of seasonal flu. The department listed the symptoms and risk factors of seasonal flu and also issued dos and don’ts. These include covering the mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing, frequent washing of hands, avoiding touching the face, and using masks in crowded areas.
The Uttarakhand government directed its officials to step up surveillance in the state, especially in three districts — Chamoli, Uttarkashi, and Pithoragarh — that share borders with China. In Tamil Nadu, government-run and private hospitals have been issued similar directions to boost hospital preparedness. The state health department said that while the southern state hasn’t reported any child pneumonia cases yet, officials have been asked to keep vigil as a precautionary measure.
The hospitals have been asked to report cases of severe acute respiratory illness, critical respiratory infection, and influenza-like illness in the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme-Integrated Health Information Platform portal.
Health advisory In a statement, the health ministry had said that given the recent reports indicating a surge in respiratory illness in children in northern China in recent weeks, it has proactively decided to review the preparedness against respiratory diseases as a matter of caution. It has monitored the situation in China and stressed that there was “no cause for any alarm at the moment.”
