UT keeps its employees motivated

CHANDIGARH: In a bid to keep the staff motivated, the UT Health Department has proposed insurance cover for members of the rapid response teams involved in handling deadly viral diseases, as well as health workers involved in the door-to-door surveillance, in the wake of a goose testing positive for bird flu in the city this week.

Common pochards sans the geese swim at Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh on Friday.

Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Ritika Jha Palial

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 19

In a bid to keep the staff motivated, the UT Health Department has proposed insurance cover for members of the rapid response teams involved in handling deadly viral diseases, as well as health workers involved in the door-to-door surveillance, in the wake of a goose testing positive for bird flu in the city this week.

A total of nearly 20 doctors and 260 associated health workers are involved in the process of treatment and surveillance of possible viral transmission from birds to human beings. The proposal was earlier mooted by the UT Joint Health Secretary during a meeting convened to check preparedness of Chandigarh for epidemics like ebola, swine flu or any other viral disease. It was reconsidered today.

Over 500 houses located within 3-km radius of the Sukhna lake were surveyed today by the teams of experts deputed by the UT Health Department to determine transmission of H5N1 virus to human beings.While no suspected cases were found today during the survey, the survey will continue for the next 10 days involving 260 health workers from the city and nodal officers from Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.

“The 3-km radius around the Sukhna Lake involves parts of Punjab and Haryana and hence, their nodal officers have also joined us in the surveillance programme,” informed UT Director Health Service, Dr VK Gagneja.

Dr Anil Garg, Nodal officer for National Vectre Borne Disease Control Program, UT, met the nodal officers from Punjab Haryana to plan the further course of action during surveillance.

“The individuals surveyed were checked for flu like symptoms or history of exposure to any birds/geese,” said Dr Garg.

The exercise was carried out as a part of a standard operating procedure in view of suspicion after confirmation of any such case, as per the World Health Organisation(WHO). In case a person is suspected to have flu-like symptoms or being exposed to birds, depending on his illness he is either quarantined to home or sent to hospital.

Quarantining is a preventive measure against the threat of transmission of the virus to other individuals from infected person. H5N1 virus that causes bird flu is highly contagious and prove deadly if not diagnosed on time. Isolation wards have been set up in all the three hospitals- GMSH-16, GMCH-32 and PGIMER for treatment of infected patients needing extra care. Common patients at the hospitals were being restricted to enter the isolated area in all the three hospitals. Five Rapid Response Teams (trained to provide treatment to chronic patients infected with virus using protective gears) are at present on the guard in city for treatment and control of tramsissions of the virus in case any epidemic.