New Delhi: The Central Government has urged state governments to promptly review public health and hospital preparedness measures in response to a surge in pneumonia cases in China. While emphasizing that there is "no cause for any alarm at the moment," the Union Health Secretary has issued a letter to states and Union Territories (UTs) instructing them to enhance medical infrastructure, including hospital beds, drugs, influenza vaccines, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment, testing kits, reagents, functionality of oxygen plants and ventilators, and infection control practices in health facilities.

States and UTs have been advised to implement the 'Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in the context of Covid-19,' which facilitates integrated surveillance of respiratory pathogens in cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). The directive also includes monitoring ILI/SARI trends, particularly in children and adolescents, through district and state surveillance units of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP).

The Health Ministry has stressed the importance of closely monitoring ILI/SARI data and uploading it to the IDSP-IHIP portal, especially from public health institutions and medical college hospitals. State governments are further instructed to send nasal and throat swab samples of SARI patients, especially children and adolescents, to Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) for testing respiratory pathogens. The Health Ministry anticipates that the cumulative implementation of these precautionary measures will effectively address potential situations and ensure the safety and well-being of citizens.

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