VIJAYAWADA : In a first-of-its-kind initiative to tackle public health emergencies, the Health and Family Welfare Department is launching a series of simulation exercises across select districts to test Andhra Pradesh’s outbreak response mechanisms.
Announcing the drive, Health and Family Welfare Department Commissioner KVN Chakradhar Babu said the exercises aim to evaluate how effectively the health network and allied government bodies react from the initial detection of a disease down to full containment.
Unlike routine mock drills that focus only on the ground staff’s immediate actions, these drills will test the public health machinery, evaluating key operational areas including disease surveillance, inter-departmental communication, lab logistics, supply chains, and public communication to spot systemic gaps before an actual crisis hits.
The department has drawn up a phased schedule covering five vector-borne, zoonotic, and waterborne diseases across the state.
The first phase will take place in Machilipatnam (Krishna district) on August 18 and 19 to test environmental surveillance, data reporting, and medical supply lines for Leptospirosis.
A drill on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) will immediately follow in West Godavari on August 20 and 21, focusing on inter-departmental coordination, emergency protocols.