The Hindu : Expert moots public health institute

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 26, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Expert moots public health institute

By Our Staff Reporter

<109,96>Thiruvananthapuram, March 25. A public health institute with the expertise to investigate the outbreak of epidemics and with proper diagnostic facilities is need of the hour for the State, according to T. Jacob John, former head of the Department of Virology, CMC, Vellore, and honorary adviser to Kerala State Institute of Virology and Infectious Diseases.

Such an institute should have a proper laboratory epidemiology wing, disease surveillance mechanism and training facilities for public health officials, he said, while delivering the T. S. Tirumurti Memorial lecture on `Kerala's Health: Reputation and Reality', organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here on Thursday.

In Kerala, which has an elite demographic profile, the repeated occurrence of diseases such as dysentery, cholera and typhoid fever raised questions about the efficacy of public health services, he said. These diseases and also Leptospirosis, generally called the `diseases of the most impoverished societies', are related to poor sanitation facilities, polluted environment and lack of hygiene in handling food.

When safe drinking water supply is an essential ingredient of public health, the outbreak of cholera in Alappuzha district in 1998 was a contribution of the piped public water distribution system, Dr. John said.

The organisms causing cholera and malaria have already become established in the State and there was a distinct possibility that three diseases _ yellow fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and leptospirosis _ could become established here in the near future. One leptospirosis outbreak had already happened in 1998 and though public health experts had been warning against an outbreak of DHF since 1999, the Government did not take it seriously till an outbreak occurred last year, taking many lives, Dr. John pointed out.

In such a situation, it was important that the State strengthen its public health interventions by establishing a public health training institute and setting up permanent disease surveillance units at district-level. Following the outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts in 1996, a committee had been appointed to recommend public health interventions to detect and control disease outbreaks.

The committee had developed a public health model in Kottayam district, under which a network of disease surveillance units in all districts had been established and public health training given to all key health officials.

A news bulletin, `Kerala Disease Surveillance Bulletin', was designed and introduced. But these activities were not strengthened by the Government, he said.

The committee had also suggested that an institute for virology and infectious diseases be set up at Alappuzha, which would have a diagnostic centre under the Director of Health Services, linked with the Director of Medical Education and this also yet to materialise.

Public health was directly linked to the progress of health services and the State did not have a virology lab, separate Public Health wing and training division, polio network labs, a medical university or vaccine manufacturing units.

In all these counts, the neighbouring Tamil Nadu had overtaken Kerala, Dr. John pointed out. He also suggested that public health be accorded a place in political manifestos.

The Director of Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, K. Mohandas, presided over the function. Those present on the occasion included the director of RGCB, R.V. Thampan, the director of RRL, T. K. Chandrasekhar and Sathish Mundayoor of RGCB.

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