State Health Minister KK Shailaja has once again shown her mettle as a seasoned captain who steered the state’s public health system in times of crisis.
A tough-task master, she has shown her prowess in managing manpower and resources during flood and Nipah outbreaks.
Talking to TNIE’s senior reporter Dileep V Kumar in the wake of the nCoV outbreak, the minister credited the health officials for working round-the-clock to contain the spread of the disease.
Excerpts:
When will the state be declared nCoV-free?
If no new developments happen, we can make the declaration by the first week of March.
There is a concern that the tourism sector suffered a setback after nCoV was declared a state-specific disaster (SSD). How do you react to that?
After three positive cases were detected, I briefed the Chief Minister. I pointed out to him those returning from China, especially from Wuhan, are scattered across the state. Considering the seriousness of the issue, he said he will direct the chief secretary to convene a high-level meeting to decide on SSD. At that time such a declaration was essential. But it was lifted as soon as situation eased. But the tourism sector need not worry at all.
The sector went through a sluggish phase during the Nipah outbreak too. But it regained momentum soon. It’s just a matter of time before the sector bounces back.
You said that “No person will have to die due to nCoV.” How confident were you when you made such a declaration?
Even before the Centre issued its alert, we had begun our preparatory measures. The lessons we learnt from Nipah helped us. From our experience, we understood that three factors were of major significance in dealing with a viral outbreak - One, isolating a suspected or confirmed case; Two, contact tracing and three, ensuring the best treatment facilities to the affected persons. In short, preparedness is the key to the effective management of nCoV outbreak. The state’s prevention and control strategy are receiving much praise.
What helped state limit the positive case to three and preventing any community spread of the virus?
The credit must go to the entire health department for working round-the-clock. The resoluteness shown by principal secretary health Rajan Khobragade and National Health Mission state director Ratan Kelkar helped us immensely. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s role is of paramount. Persons with suspected symptoms were identified early and put under isolation. They all turned out to be Wuhan returnees. But this process of identifying suspected cases in advance and putting them under isolation helped check the spread of the disease. You were bold while briefing the press.
Was it a facade to hide your anxieties?
To be frank, I was a bit concerned due to the nature of the transmission of the virus. The possibility of person-to-person spread was high. Even those with mild symptoms pass on the infection. But the fact that fatality risk of nCoV is comparatively less to that of the Nipah virus was a huge relief. Even if I am concerned, I knew that I cannot display it in public. I know well that as the minister I have to instil confidence in health staff to deal with the viral attack.