BHUBANESWAR: With avian influenza outbreak reported in some parts of the country, the Health Department has sounded all chief district medical officers (CDMOs) to prepare a contingency plan for surveillance.
Process to deploy rapid response teams, screening, case management facility and measures for protection of officials during culling need to be readied.
In a letter to all the CDMOs, Principal Secretary in Health Department Arti Ahuja asked them to keep a close liaison with the chief district veterinary officers for information on isolation of H5N8 through surveillance.
Any unusual death of poultry and other birds must be informed to the local veterinary officers and dead birds should not be handled. Local veterinary officers must be consulted on disposal of carcasses.
Whenever culling operation is taken up, the department said, health of veterinary staff involved in the exercise must be monitored on a daily basis and chemoprophylxis must be provided.
The districts have also been asked to maintain surveillance against influenza like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).
All the district headquarters hospitals, sub divisional hospitals and community health centres should have facility for screening of ILI and SARI. Besides sensitisation, drugs such as Osetamivir must be stocked up, the letter stated.