Indian states' health departments on alert as China pneumonia cases spike

Union health ministry advised states to immediately review preparedness

Amid the rising cases of pneumonia and ‘white lung syndrome’ in neighbouring China, several states in India are on alert. States like Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Karnataka have asked hospitals and health care staff to be vigilant in handling any spike in respiratory illnesses.

The Kerala health department has directed all district medical officers to keep close tabs on influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases in hospitals. It has also renewed the alert against H1N1 flu (swine flu) across districts.

The Haryana government has issued directions to all civil surgeons “to strengthen surveillance on ILI and SARI” after recent reports indicated a surge in respiratory illness among children in northern China.

In a letter on Tuesday, the state’s director of health services further ordered the civil surgeons to report “any clustering of unusual respiratory illness”.

The Union Ministry of Health has advised states to immediately review their public health preparedness following reports of a surge in respiratory illness among children in northern China. The letter to the civil surgeons stated that the Centre had directed to ensure the availability of requisite hospital beds, testing, medical countermeasures, and infection control practices in health facilities and implement “operational guidelines for the revised surveillance strategy in the context of Covid-19”.

“While the available information suggests that there is no cause for any alarm in India, there is a need to review the public health and hospital preparedness,” according to the letter from the Haryana health services director to civil surgeons.

Tamil Nadu Director of Public Health (DPH) T S Selvavinayagam requested the Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DME), the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS), and the deputy directors of health services of the Directorate of Public Health that these institutions, specifically the deans of medical college hospitals and other allied institutions under DME, the joint directors of medical and rural health services, and other allied institutions under DMS, should increase surveillance and report cases of acute respiratory illness, SARI, and ILI on the Integrated Disease Surveillance-Integrated Health Information Platform portal.

Reports suggested that Rajasthan’s medical and health department has advised staff to stay vigilant and has asked officials to prepare an action plan for the prevention and treatment of the disease.

Meanwhile, news agency ANI reported that Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told the media on Wednesday that they are preparing hospitals for any emergency. Still, as of now, there is nothing to panic.

Similarly, Gujarat Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Rushikesh Ganeshbhai Patel, said on Wednesday the state has inspected the oxygen tanks, ventilators, and availability of beds. Plans for separate wards have also been made.

Uttarakhand, which also shares land borders with China, has issued alerts directing officials to step up surveillance in the state.

The situation in China is escalating. According to global reports, some hospitals in Beijing are receiving 7,000 to 13,000 daily patients with symptoms. Several patients’ lung scans show ‘ground glass opacity’, reports suggested. Children are the worst affected. China has brought back the mask rule in public places.

The UK Health Security Agency has said it is closely monitoring the situation and will respond as more information becomes available.

The health agency noted in a release dated November 24: “Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission have reported an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases in China. This increase has been attributed to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus, and coronavirus. These are all common pathogens but due to changes in social mixing may not follow usual seasonal infection patterns. The UK experienced similar trends in 2022.”

With inputs from Virendra Singh Rawat & PTI