Communicable Diseases In India – Miles To Go.

National Center for disease control was established in 1909. A similar organization was established in the US in1942. Since then, the CDC has gone from strength to strength. I have heard that even a hint of an epidemic, mobilizes state and national level forces. That is how it should be. Of course in India, during a recent outbreak of encephalitis in eastern UP, it almost seemed that the victims were left to the inept machinations of Mayawati sarkar. Forces did get mobilized and problem was brought under control. But during all the confusion and total lack of focus, four hundred children died. NCDC need to realize that there is more to their jobs than providing statistics to Mantrijee. Bureaucratic red tape and interdepartmental turf war must be removed. All states should get equal attention from the central government. Every life must be treated with the same respect.

Of course, India has close to four times the US population and many fold fewer resources. But that should not stop us from striving for better focus and effort. It seems that our efforts towards getting rid of the polio menace is yielding great dividends. This is what was said in a news report:

India's thorough vaccination programme has helped it to stop new transmissions. India has been free of new cases of polio for a year, putting it on track to end its status as a country where the virus is endemic, officials say. In a few weeks, if pending samples test negative for the virus, India will be officially regarded as free from polio for the first time in its history. The World Health Organisation described this as a critical milestone.

I really tip my hat to the doctors and officials who must have worked hard to achieve this. I dare say that they did this despite of the political leadership. Health ministry is one of those departments, which need a leader like Congress’ Jairam Ramesh or BJP’s Maneka Gandhi. They both have demonstrated a messianic zeal in dealing with issues personal to their heart. I really like Jairam Ramesh’s efforts in dealing with an issue like the Environment, which is probably at the bottom of list of priorities (read our many posts on pollution of our rivers).

But polio is just one of the health problems. Some epidemics are lifestyle related and can be dealt with a judicious use of media to educate the aam aadmi. However the communicable diseases are the ones, which need a greater attention. Aids are one that is on everyone’s radar but it is TB, which is the latest big worry. A strain of TB, which totally resistant to antibiotics has been found in Mumbai. This what was said about this:

The state government has decided to shift patients with totally drug-resistant tuberculosis (TDR-TB) to a sanatorium in Jaysingpur near Maharashtra's Sangli. A central team of TB experts will assess the patients on Monday before they leave the city. The patients will be housed in 30-bed sanatorium at Jaysingpur, a picturesque, small town near Sangli that is relatively pollution-free. "Eleven of the 14 patients identified with TDR-TB so far in the city will be sent to isolation," said state TB control officer Dr P Gaikwad.

I am glad the officials are on the job and they should be supported and commended for their efforts. The GoI should open more branches of the NCDC and those should be funded well and organized in such a way that they can move with the speed of a stealth army unit.

On their part, the aam aadmi should help the efforts of the NCDC in every way they can. Awareness and cleanliness are two simple ways of dealing with such problems. If we see conditions like stagnant and dirty water or heaps of garbage, we need to lean on civic authorities to get is cleaned up. Of course the local authorities need to be receptive to such complaints. All of us working together can beat this problem.

The following url's provided the information:
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/201410/gorakhpur-encephalitis-mystery-may-soon.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16535150
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Drug-resistant-TB-patients-set-to-be-isolated-in-Maharashtra/articleshow/11494463.cms