Zika: India should have kept WHO in loop

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

India’s delayed reporting of three cases of Zika virus disease to WHO has put question marks on the government’s silence for well over months.

Health Research Secretary Soumya Swaminathan said the WHO wrongly recorded that the first case of Zika in India was confirmed in February 2016. “We have pointed out to them (WHO). The first Zika case in India was confirmed in November 2016 and not February 2016. The second case was confirmed in January 2017 and the third in February.”

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Asked why India decided not to declare Zika cases upfront, Swaminathan, who is part of the government’s Zika monitoring mechanism, said: “It wasn’t something where we needed public engagement for containment. Also, there was no need to create panic because we were expecting the infection in India since the virus had been circulating in most of South East Asia for a while. Health authorities in Ahmedabad where the cases were reported were informed and containment measures taken. ICMR stepped up response. Fortunately, these were localised infections. Since the last case, we haven’t seen a single sample positive for Zika from among 40,000 human and mosquito samples we examined.”

The Tribune has, however, learnt that there was a minority view in the Health Ministry to report Zika to WHO immediately. A call was later taken not to do that on account of the fact that health authorities were responding adequately. India informed the WHO of the cases on May 15 this year.

However, experts feel India should have intimated Zika to WHO instantly under its UN obligations.

Former head of communicable diseases at WHO South East Asia office JP Narayan says, “India is one of the 193 signatories to the UN’s International Health Regulations 2005 which require member states to immediately report new emerging infections of international public health concern for better control and response. All countries are expected to comply.”

Another acclaimed health expert, on the condition of anonymity, said India’s decision not to share information for so long puts the country on a weak global footing. “Concealment of such information can have serious public health implications. Pregnant women for instance should have been informed and educated about the preventive measures. Public information always helps create awareness. We have been lucky so far to see only a localised infection. But what if it had spread?”

“We should strive for transparency and openness in public health information sharing,” he said. 

Government sources, meanwhile, reported all previous Zika cases as cured and said there was no cause for concern.

Situation under control: Gujarat Govt

• Amid an atmosphere of anxiety among citizens following detection of Zika virus in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat Government said the three cases were isolated and currently no such threat exists.
• Gujarat Chief Secretary JN Singh claimed ample steps had been taken after the National Institute of Virology, Pune, confirmed three persons from Ahmedabad were infected with Zika between January and February, 2017.
• “There is nothing to worry about at present. All the three cases were isolated, and no new case was found since February, when the third and last case emerged,” he said. PTI