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Concluding that the weakness of routine surveillance contributes decisively to the growing number of zika cases in Madhya Pradesh, the central government has very shortly launched a four-day training program on the surveillance and investigation of epidemics. for the benefit of state epidemiologists.
"There will be two training modules on surveillance and investigations. This will not only affect zika, but most communicable diseases, "said Dr. BN Chouhan, director of the state's health department, who met the team on Friday.
Since the first case was confirmed by the AIIMS Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bhopal on 23 October, 128 cases of zika have been reported in six districts. The results of 16 samples sent for Friday testing are expected.
"Unlike Rajasthan, where cases were subject to routine surveillance and intensification of measures put in place immediately after the first case, things were delayed in the MP because the cases were not included in routine surveillance, "said an official from the Ministry of Health of the Union, asking for anonymity.
The districts of Bhopal, Vidisha and Sehore reported 122 cases, with Sagar, Raisen and Hoshangabad districts reporting two cases each. An 18-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman who died during the corresponding period were tested positive for zika, but their deaths were not documented as deaths by zika because they had other infections and more deadly diseases. The man also had Japanese encephalitis and the woman had uncontrolled diabetes and sepsis (severe blood infection).
Officials from the state's health department said routine monitoring had been ongoing since June for all vector-borne diseases, including malaria and dengue fever. "We did not intensify the surveillance to start the in-house and mass zika surveys, as no cases appeared in the systematic follow-up," says Dr. Ajay Baroniya, co-director of the health department of the State.
There was no delay in the state, he said. "In case of epidemic, the intensification of the training begins on the directive of the Center. The central team arrived in Bhopal on October 30 and asked us to intensify our monitoring. We immediately did it on November 1 st. If they had asked us earlier, we would have started accordingly, "Baroniya said.
Manoj Jhalani, director of the National Health Mission, who visited the state on Tuesday, said: "The teams should have been active when three cases were reported in different places. There should be better coordination between agencies, such as health, civic and urban development. "
According to experts, it can sometimes take a week for vector-borne diseases to spread.
"Although it also depends on population density, vector control measures should begin as soon as the very first case is detected for maximum benefit. As Zika is a new infection, we must see how the virus behaves, "said Dr. Neena Valecha, director of the National Malaria Research Institute.
Dr. Sarman Singh, director of the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, in Bhopal, said, "Fortunately for us, this is not a virulent virus, at least not the outstanding strain. It will extinguish itself, especially with the drop in temperature. The next two or three weeks are critical.
First published: Nov 17, 2018 23:44 IST
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