E-Paper
Covid surveillance method to be used for vector-borne diseases too
As per the change in surveillance system adopted by the Uttar Pradesh health department, instead of waiting for an outbreak, which means cases from more than one house in a particular area, now each case will be recorded for contact tracing.
LUCKNOW: Covid surveillance system will now be used to curb malaria, dengue and chikungunya cases in the state.
As per the change in surveillance system adopted by the health department, instead of waiting for an outbreak, which means cases from more than one houses in a particular area, now each case will be recorded for contact tracing.
“Each case of malaria, dengue or chikungunya as it comes will be notified to our office from all over the state. Within a day, a rapid response team will reach the house of the patient and screen people in 50 homes in the surroundings,” said Dr Ramesh Chandra Pandey, additional director, malaria and vector-borne diseases. His office now has 15 nodal officers posted to call up each such case and verify whether or not teams reached their place.
Each positive case is reported on a CRS-pro portal which is monitored by the nodal officer. In Covid cases also, contact tracing for each positive case was done immediately and sampling of all those with symptoms was done to check if infection had spread among contacts of a Covid positive case.
“The surveillance by rapid response teams will mostly check fever which is a common symptom, apart from other symptoms. If someone has fever, their blood slide will be made on the spot to check the cause,” said Dr Pandey.
Dr Vikas Singhal, joint director, vector-borne diseases, said, “The initiative has begun and will be intensified soon as monsoon approaches the state.”
Surveillance would also include leptospirosis and scrub typhus, diseases caused by bacteria, though they did not occur frequently, said officials. Since January, 97 dengue cases have been reported in the state.
