India closely monitoring spike in pneumonia cases in China, urges states not to panic
Amidst a surge in respiratory illnesses among children in northern China, the Indian government has initiated a review of preparedness measures to combat such illnesses. The Centre has assured the public that it is closely monitoring the situation and emphasized that there is no need for alarm.
The Health Ministry has urged all states and union territories to immediately assess their public health and hospital preparedness measures. The directive highlights the importance of ensuring an adequate supply of human resources, hospital beds, essential medications, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment (PPE), testing kits, and reagents in hospitals.
In addition, healthcare facilities must ensure the proper functioning of their oxygen plants and ventilators, and meticulously review infection control protocols to prevent the spread of infections, according to the Health Ministry’s directive.
The Health Ministry has advised the implementation of the “Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in the context of COVID-19.” These guidelines, issued earlier this year, provide a framework for integrated surveillance of respiratory pathogens, including influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI).
The ministry also emphasized the need to monitor ILI-SARI trends, particularly among children and adolescents, through district and state surveillance units. Timely uploading of ILI-SARI data to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) portal, especially from public health institutions and medical college hospitals, is crucial for effective monitoring and outbreak response.
Meanwhile, China is facing a new challenge in the form of a pneumonia outbreak that is rapidly spreading through its educational institutions. This development has overwhelmed hospitals across the country, bringing back memories of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
China’s health commission has clarified that the outbreak is caused by a combination of known pathogens, dispelling concerns about a new virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has requested more information from Chinese authorities following a report of clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.
India continues to closely monitor the situation in China and urges its states to stay calm and prepared.
