Chikungunya declared a notifiable disease

Tribune News Service 

New Delhi, September 16

A day after the World Health Organisation questioned the effectiveness of India's disease surveillance system amid growing concerns over a mounting vector crisis the country is facing, particularly the national Capital, the Delhi Government today declared chikungunya a "dangerous/ notifiable" disease directing the authorities concerned to issue a notification in this regard immediately. 

With this reporting of both positive as well as suspected cases of chikungunya will be mandatory by all hospitals, nursing homes and labs in Delhi once the notification is issued. 

The move came days after Health Minister Satyendar Jain and later Union Health Minister JP Nadda maintained that chikungunya, which has claimed more than a dozen lives and affected more than 2,500 people who have reported with the infection in Delhi this season, is "non-fatal" in itself.

Jain appeared to be downplaying the crisis being in a denial mode about chikungunya being a cause of death "alone" while asking the media not to "hype" saying it creates a panic among people. 

However, Jain attributed the decision to notify chikungunya as a dangerous disease to "problems" in locating patients who have diagnosed with chikungunya faced by the MCDs and thus in preventive response. 

"In light of the prevailing chikungunya outbreak, it is hereby directed that the issue of notifying chikungunya as dangerous/notifiable disease, be immediately taken up with the concerned local bodies for the issuance of such notification as decided in the review meeting on September 14," read an order issued today by Health Minister Satyendar Jain. 

"This is to be done on priority to ensure that every hospital, nursing home, laboratory shall furnish the data of chikungunya patients to the concerned government agencies without failure. This is imperative for monitoring the situation and to take requisite remedial action," Jain said in the order.

In another order, Jain said that to tackle the dengue and chikungunya outbreak, all the 'mohalla clinics', polyclinics and dispensaries will remain open on all days, including Sundays and gazetted holidays during their working hours till October 30. 

1,000 beds reserved in Centre-run hospitals for dengue and chikungunya 

All Central government-run hospitals in Delhi will reserve 1,000 beds for dengue and chikungunya to handle the upsurge in patients.

"Nadda ji has agreed to it and an additional 1,000 beds at Centre-run hospitals will be available for treatment of dengue and chikungunya," said, Jain said following a meeting with Union Health Minister J P Nadda. 

Jain called on to discuss the prevailing health situation in the national Capital when Nadda assured all support to the city government.