Rajasthan health officials asked to form response teams, action plan amid pneumonia outbreak in China

Rajasthan health officials asked to form response teams, action plan amid pneumonia outbreak in China

Rajasthan's Medical and Health Department has advised its staff to remain alert and form rapid response teams following a rise in cases of respiratory diseases in northern China. In its advisory issued here, the health department asked officials concerned to prepare an action plan for the prevention and treatment of the disease.

Additional Chief Secretary of the department, Shubhra Singh, while addressing officials through video conference, said the situation is "not worrisome at present" but the medical staff should work with full vigilance for surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases across the state, a statement said. Singh directed officials to prepare an action plan in three days for the prevention and treatment of this disease. She asked them to appoint a nodal officer at the district and medical college levels and to form rapid response teams at the division and district level.

Singh said as there have been more cases of respiratory diseases in children in China, adequate arrangements for treatment should be made in pediatric units and medicine departments. She added that children, elderly people, pregnant women and co-morbid patients are more prone to infection.

National Health Mission Director Dr Jitendra Kumar Soni said separate ambulances should be earmarked for patients so that the infection does not spread to others. Earlier, the Union Health Ministry had advised states to immediately review public health and hospital preparedness such as availability of beds, drugs and vaccines for influenza, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment, testing kits and reagents, functionality of oxygen plants and ventilators, and infection control practices.

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said that recently, information shared by the WHO has indicated an increase in respiratory illnesses in northern parts of China. This is predominantly attributed to usual causes such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia and SARS-CoV-2.