The Centre today declared Japanese Encephalitis (JE) as a notifiable disease and asked states to ensure that all health care providers inform local authorities about such cases, a move aimed at reducing the transmission of the disease and stopping it from spreading to newer areas.
The move of the Union Health Ministry, which issued a notification to this effect today, comes after Health Minister J P Nadda had given an assurance to Lok Sabha in August this year for making JE a notifiable disease.
"JE is an important public health concern in the country accounting for substantial morbidity, mortality and disability. Early reporting of JE cases is necessary for effective implementation of preventive measures and case management.
"In order to ensure early diagnosis and case management, reduce transmission, address the problems of emergency and spread of disease in newer geographical areas, it is essential to have complete information of all JE cases.
"Therefore, the health care providers shall notify every JE case to local authorities that is District Health Officer or Chief Medical Officer of the district concerned and Municipal Health Officer of the Municipal Corporation every week (daily during transmission period)," the notification said.
The notification has been sent to the heads of state health departments and other health functionaries of all the states and UTs.
Chief secretaries of Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where the number of JE cases has been reported to be high in the past, have been requested to issue necessary notification...
...Under the Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 or relevant Act or Rules as applicable, to ensure necessary monitoring, prevention and control of the disease, an official statement said.
"During the discussion on a Calling Attention Motion in the Lok Sabha on August 11, 2016 regarding spread of JE, especially Eastern Uttar Pradesh and steps taken by the government...
"...Union Health Minister J P Nadda had made an assurance for making JE a notifiable disease. The notification circular issued today is in response to the said assurance," the official statement said.
The statement said that for the purpose of this
notification, health care providers have been asked to include clinical establishment run or managed by the government private or NGO sectors and even individual practitioners under Clinical Establishment (Registration & Regulation) Act, 2010.
"The doctors in Government Health Institutions and the registered medical private practitioners of the private hospitals are required to immediately inform the office of the District Health Authority of concerned district, if a suspected case of JE is reported at their health institution.
"The blood samples of the all JE suspected cases have to be sent to the JE Sentinel surveillance Hospital (SSH), to be tested by ELISA technique. The information of the positive case should be sent to the office of the District Health Authority immediately after the diagnosis," the notification said.
It said that the management of the JE cases need to be done as per the guidelines issued by the government from time to time and available on the website of Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control programme (NVBDCP).
