BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Sunday directed districts to step up testing and intensify surveillance on influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory illness in view of a recent surge in respiratory illness among children in northern China.
The direction came in the wake of an advisory issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare asking states to review public health and hospital preparedness measures to handle respiratory illnesses. As per the advisory of the Centre, director of public health Dr Niranjan Mishra said, all chief district medical and public health officers have been asked to increase Covid testing and raise surveillance on ILI and SARI cases.
Although there is no reason to panic as no abnormal behaviour of any virus has been detected anywhere in the country so far, health officials will have to make necessary arrangements and remain ready to deal with the eventualities.
“Surge in respiratory illness among children is a usual phenomenon with the onset of winter season and cyclical trend of respiratory illnesses. We had recently witnessed several cases of flu. In case of any abnormal symptoms, the samples will be sent to Regional Medical Research Centre for more research,” Dr Mishra said.
The officials have been instructed to closely monitor ILI and SARI cases, especially among children and adolescents through district surveillance units of integrated disease surveillance project and upload data on dedicated portal.