IDSP and Doctors' role in it

If every Doctor knows about this IDSP and follows its guidelines, Dengue, and all other infectious diseases with the Non-Communicable diseases also, could be effectively prevented and eliminated. Read about it here.

Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) is the component of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) of India. This programme was started in November 2004. Under this programme the disease case detection at all levels is simpler by using simpler case definitions.With it, diseases incidence data can be retrieved on all levels from Primary Health centre areas to all India level through District and State levels.

Objectives of IDSP:

1) District-based surveillance for Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases.

2) Integration of all existing surveillance programmes.

3) Forecasting of any impending epidemic.

4) Analyzing data and planning for control or eradication of Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases.

   

Uses of IDSP:

1) Linking all health systems - Primary, Secondary, Tertiary care institutions and Private institutions provides high quality IDSP data collection.

2) Informing the immediately superior health personnel avoids the delay in receiving orders from higher authourities for early action to prevent effectively any impending epidemic and thereby for the prevention of resultant morbidity and mortality in the area concerned. 

3) Instant retrieval of surveillance data by Central Government health authourities through the website of IDSP portal for analyzing the health problems in States. This avoids the delay in getting reports from the concerned States.  

   

Expected role of Hospital Doctors in IDSP:

1) Doctors must write provisional diagnosis legibly in the OPD register.

2) They should report about the suspected cases to District Surveillance Officer (Deputy Director of Health Services) over phone; they should also write the addresses of such cases in OPD register. 

3) Doctors should refer such suspected cases to laboratory for the relevant investigations.

Courtesy: Dr.S.Balasubramanian M.B.,B.S., D.P.H.

Community participation in Dengue prevention

We read about the FAQs about Dengue prevention in the previously posted article. Community participation is the best and the foremost one in bringing down the Dengue incidence to zero/ providing and maintaining its totally prevented status - no Dengue in the community!  What is the sensible and active participation of entire community in the prevention of Dengue fever?

Awareness:

First the community must be aware of Dengue fever itself and the Aedes mosquitoes that spread it - Health Inspectors and Health Nurses provide IEC (Information, Education & Communication) to people to be aware of them.

Demanding fogging:

In case if mosquitoes are found in their locality, the community people must demand the health authourities to spray insecticide-fog to kill the mosquitoes. If this fogging is also started again just before any raining and repeated on the 7th day following the first one, it protects them not only from mosquito bites but also from Dengue fever.

Destroying breeding places:

They must cooperate with health staff in avoiding mosquito breeding in low level area where water collects to breed mosquitoes, by draining the stagnant water safely and leveling the ground with sand. They should also identify the locations both inside and nearby their houses where mosquito larvae can breed  in water collections - of such as water pots, flower pots, coconut shells. These containers must be periodically emptied or removed from the site. 

Killing larvae:

They must keep all the stored water containers covered and also allow health staff to add anti-larval liquid to the water stored to kill the larva. Health staff shall repeat this later on the 7th day. They can also breed fish in ponds that feast on the mosquito larvae.

Personal protection:

People shall cover their exposed body parts or apply mosquito repellant and sleep under medicated mosquito net to get ultimate protection from Dengue fever.

FAQs on Dengue Fever!

Dengue fever is known already by the population in the past unlike the recent Swine Flu [Influenza A (H1N1)]. But in the later years it didn't recur so much as of now. Why is it rampant now? It is said to be due to rapid urbanization, population increase, international travel and increased global warming. Find FAQs on it down here:

1) We, doctors, know that now there are three types of this fever: DF, DHF and DSS. Do public know about it?

     Answer: Yes/ No.

2) We know that there is no specific treatment or vaccine for preventing this fever. Do public know about it?

    Answer: Yes/ No.

3)  We know that there is no active and sensible community    participation in preventing the fever and instead there is only reporting of fever incidence. Do public know about it?

    Answer: Yes/ No.

4) We know that the members of the community rely totally on us, health staff, for its 'cure' and forget that prevention of it rests with them ultimately, as emptying stored water containers etc. is to be done daily like teeth brushing. Any such intervention with such measures is resented as affecting their privacy and rights. Do public know about it?

    Answer: Yes/ No.

5) We know that there are 4 types of  Dengue virus now and that they are carried by 4 species of Aedes mosquitoes now. Do public know about it?

    Answer: Yes/ No.

6) We know that Aedes mosquito can live only near or inside houses of human beings like our dependent pet dogs. And once infected with these viruses, they remain infected through out their lifetime; they also pass on the viruses to their progeny. Do public know about it?

    Answer: Yes/ No.

7) We know that the mortality due to this dengue fever is only less than 1% - with  hospitalization and treatment. And that by early detection of this fever and early access to proper medical care will lessen this mortality rate. Do public know about it?

    Answer: Yes/ No.

8) We know that the fever recurs again and after one or two days; now there may be bleeding from gastrointestinal tract or there may be shock. And treatment here in this condition is only by hospitalization and blood transfusion. Do public know about it?

    Answer: Yes/ No.

9) Again we know that the control of these mosquitoes, prevention of their bites and stopping their larval breeding in houses by emptying water containers etc. shall greatly reduce the further spread of Dengue fever and hence prevent deaths due to it. Do public know about it?

    Answer: Yes/ No.

10) We thus know that only referral of serious Dengue cases from OPD for proper hospitalized treatment can save the patient from his/ her death.  Do public know about it?

       Answer: Yes/ No.

If a person choose 'No" for all these questions, we, doctors and health care providing staff are doomed and Dengue fever shall not be controlled  and there may be high mortality from its spread. Let us all create all these awareness about Dengue fever among public and make all persons choose 'Yes' for all these questions.

Mosquitoes to check Dengue and Malaria!

News from a daily:
For tackling Dengue menace, Genetically modified male mosquitoes (GMMs) are to be released in our environment.

Excerpt::
"The GMMs will copulate with the female (Aedes and Anopheles) mosquitoes and cause the larvae to die due to the presence of killer genes. This will make them(Aedes and Anopheles) refractory to transmit Dengue virus and Plasmodium," said Dr.B.K.Tyagi, Director in-charge, Centre for Research in Medical Entomology (CRME), at Madurai.

Note this:
Malaysian Government would be releasing about 2000 GMMs this year. Read more about it here:
Malaysia to carry out GM mosquito trial
Malaysia adopts GM mosquito