Photo: Collected
India yesterday said there has been no unusual surge in cases of respiratory illnesses across the country in the wake of rising cases of such ailments in China in the past few weeks.
A joint monitoring group of the Indian Health Ministry in a meeting today said data collected suggested no unusual surge in respiratory illness cases so far, said an official statement.
Experts from the World Health organization (WHO), Disaster Management (DM) Cell, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) Division, and hospitals attended the meeting.
The meeting was told that the situation in China is not unusual in view of the ongoing flu season. The reports also suggest that the cause of the present surge is the Influenza virus, RSV and HMPV, the usual pathogens that are expected during the season. These viruses are already in circulation globally including India.
According to the statement, a robust surveillance system for influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness for Influenza is already in place in India and data from ICMR and IDSP indicates no unusual surge in such ailments.
Physicians from hospitals also confirmed that there has been no surge in respiratory illness cases in the last few weeks other than the expected seasonal variation.
However, as a precautionary measure, the number of laboratories testing for HMPV will be enhanced.
Data from the recently conducted preparedness drill across the country indicated that India is well prepared to deal with any increase in respiratory illnesses.
