The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Surveillance of vector-borne diseases made comprehensive

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Surveillance of vector-borne diseases made comprehensive

Ramya Kannan

Cases will have to be reported daily through Internet "This will be useful in identifying trouble spots immediately"

CHENNAI: Last year the mosquitoes stole a march on the unprepared health and sanitation machinery. But this year, the Health Department is gearing up to face any possible onslaught from mosquitoes.

The primary weapon is a spruced up surveillance system, more comprehensive and frequent, to monitor the incidence of Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, Leptospirosis and Measles. This will change the way the surveillance of the vector-borne diseases has been conducted so far, Director of Public Health P. Padmanabhan says. Cases of any of the diseases under the scanner will have to be reported daily, through the Internet. Collation of reports and analysis of patterns can be done every day. This will be useful in identifying trouble spots immediately and rushing medical supplies to prevent an outbreak.

Coming to the aid of health workers in this attempt is the National Informatics Centre, which has fashioned a web site that will enable them to post information online from wherever they are. Each health officer or worker will be given a login name, with which they can sign in to upload daily information. Even those who are unable to access the Intranet can post the data through the Internet, Dr. Padmanabhan explains.

All hospitals and health units in urban areas and rural areas and Primary Health Centres will be required to update information on daily. The NIC software has been configured to indicate those units that have not updated the data and to make an analysis daily. "The biggest advantage of the system is that it will make monitoring complete. Earlier, we used to get incomplete reports and sometimes even no reports from certain areas." Now, authorities can haul up anyone who is not complying and ask for information the same day.

Vector (mosquito) density is also being monitored periodically and information being uploaded on the net. The system has been on trial for a while now and will be launched officially in another 10 days.

The experience so far has indicated good response from the staff members who are used to uploading information on non-communicable diseases gathered from the Varumun Kappom camps.

All this is part of a contingency plan for vector control, for which the State is investing Rs. 7.5 crore, besides the funds being received from the Centre. The funds will also be utilised to increase awareness and involve the community in monitoring, testing and spraying of larvicide.

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