Amid a surge in pneumonia cases in China, India's central government on Sunday urged state governments to quickly review hospital preparedness and public health initiatives. It insisted there was "no cause for alarm at the moment" and said it was keeping an eye on the situation in the neighbouring country.
According to a release from the Union Health Ministry, the Union Health Secretary has written a letter to the States and Union Territories (UTs) asking them to take steps to improve medical infrastructure, including hospital beds, medicines and flu vaccines, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment, test kits and reagents, oxygen plants and ventilators, and infection control practices at the highest level.
The 'Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in the context of Covid-19' issued earlier this year, which call for integrated surveillance of respiratory pathogens presenting as influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), have been recommended for implementation by all states and UTs.
The states and UTs have also been asked to ensure that the district and state surveillance units of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) closely monitor the trends of ILUSARI, especially in children and adolescents, according to a release from the health ministry.
State Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) have been instructed to receive nasal and throat swab samples from SARI patients, especially children and adolescents, for testing for respiratory pathogens.
"The cumulative effect of implementing these precautionary and proactive collaborative measures is expected to counter any potential situation and ensure the safety and well-being of citizens," said the Ministry of Health.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has asked China for comprehensive data on the rise in respiratory diseases and documented outbreaks of pneumonia in children.