New Delhi: India was closely monitoring the outbreak of pneumonia among children in northern China and its one avian influenza (H9N2) case, the government said Friday, emphasising that it was prepared for any health emergency.
The central health ministry in a statement said there was low risk to India “from both the aviation influenza case reported from China as well as the clusters of respiratory illness”.
The ministry said it had seen reports of increased cases of respiratory diseases in China in the past few weeks, but stressed that only the usual causes have been implicated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also noted that no unusual pathogen or any unexpected clinical manifestations have occurred in the pneumonia cases, the statement said.
A meeting was recently held, under the chairmanship of the director general of health services, to discuss preparedness for the spread of avian influenza to the population. This was in the backdrop of the human case of H9N2 reported in China last month, the ministry said.
After seeking a report from China, WHO has also said its overall risk assessment indicated a low probability of human-to-human spread and low fatality for bird flu (H9N2).
The meeting, however, stressed the need to strengthen surveillance of the population, animal husbandry and wildlife sectors and improve coordination.
The ministry added that the country was prepared for any public health emergency and was embarking on the “One Health” approach toward a holistic and integrated roadmap for such issues.
There has also been a significant strengthening of health infrastructure since the COVID pandemic, the ministry said. It also said the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was developing capacities of health systems and institutions for care at all levels – primary, secondary and tertiary. This aimed to prepare health systems in responding effectively to current and future pandemics and disasters, the statement read.
The government has also emphasised that India’s surveillance and detection networks, under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), have had a rich experience of dealing with challenging health situations during the COVID pandemic.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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