Staying alert

Staying alert: On monitoring non-COVID-19 diseases

Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP)

# The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), the backbone of India’s disease monitoring network, is responsible for alerting the Centre and the wider world, on a weekly basis, about the emergence of disease outbreaks, a surge in novel pathogens, the rate of spread and remedial action taken.

Major focus –only on COVID-19

# On average, there are 30-40 such alerts. However, the advent of COVID-19 appears to have veiled the country from any other disease.

# For one, the latest weekly report available on the IDSP website is from Week 12 (March 16-22). It records a mere six outbreaks/disease alerts across the country.

# In the same week last year, there were 17 alerts; in 2018, there were 28; and in 2017, there were 45. In Week 11 this year, there were 28 alerts, 12 of which were for COVID-19 and these corresponded to the 110 cases of the disease that were reported in that week of March from when the disease escalated.

# With movement at a standstill, hospitals shut, and only testing and treatment for COVID-19 available at government healthcare facilities, the reporting of other diseases suffered.

# The neglect of other diseases has been independently borne out, for instance, by a reduction in the notifications of fresh tuberculosis infections and a general decline in claims under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.

# The other explanation is that akin to a decline in deaths from accidents, the lockdown has contributed to a decline in transmission of contagious diseases.

# Many of the outbreaks that are routinely reported involve pathogens contracted from contaminated water or those airborne that spread through social interaction.

# While the reasons for the decline could be deliberated upon, what is unacceptable is the lack of public updates since March 12.

# The IDSP also faces a manpower crunch and, mirroring the experience of public health facilities in other countries, is trying to recruit in the middle of a pandemic.

Way ahead

# If the country has, as a policy, decided to ‘unlock’ and restore pre-pandemic routines, then this should also apply to routine surveillance for other diseases.

# It’s debatable how useful this would be to improve COVID-19 surveillance, but it is essential in improving overall surveillance as well as providing timely updates to the public and international health agencies. The pandemic needs serious focus, but India cannot afford to ignore other killers.

Source: TH

Join Our Telegram

US Resumes Nuclear Weapon Testing

Formation Day

03 Dec, 25
SHARE

On 1st November, eight Indian states—Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu—along with five Union Territories—Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry—celebrate their Formation Day. This date marks an important milestone in India

Turtle (Kachhua) Wildlife Sanctuary

02 Dec, 25
SHARE

The Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as the Kachhua Sanctuary, is located in the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. It is recognised as India’s first freshwater turtle wildlife sanctuary, established to conserve endangered turtle species and support the ecological health of the Ganga River. Location and Extent The sanctuary co

Introduction of AI and Computational Thinking (CT) in

02 Dec, 25
SHARE

The Ministry of Education plans to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Thinking (CT) from Class 3 onwards in the 2026–27 academic year. This initiative is part of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 and aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The aim is to prepare student

Sal Tree

02 Dec, 25
SHARE

Scientists from the Environment Department of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) in Shimla have recently revealed that the Sal tree (Shorea robusta) is the most effective natural air purifier for combating rising pollution levels. Their findings highlight the tree’s superior capacity to trap dust, absorb gases, and cleanse the air compared

US Resumes Nuclear Weapon Testing

02 Dec, 25
SHARE

The President of the United States has ordered the resumption of nuclear weapon testing after a gap of 33 years, the last test being in 1992. This decision marks a significant shift in global nuclear policy and has far-reaching implications for geopolitics, the environment, and international security. Status of Global Nuclear Weapon Testing