INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Amid a surge in cases of mycoplasma pneumonia and influenza flu in China, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday
said that the government is monitoring the situation and taking necessary steps."The government is monitoring the situation
The ICMR and the Director General of Health Services are observing the surging cases of pneumonia in China, and necessary steps are being
taken," Mandaviya said.Even as the recent outbreak of H9N2 and pneumonia cases in parts of China has raised a global concern, the Union
health ministry on Friday had said that India is at "low risk" .In a statement, the ministry also noted that there have been media reports
about rising cases of respiratory illness among children in northern China.China reports Influenza-like illness outbreak among children;
India monitors situation"The usual causes of respiratory illness in children have been implicated and there has been no identification of an
unusual pathogen or any unexpected clinical manifestations," it said.The ministry said that a meeting was recently held under the
chairmanship of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to discuss the preparedness measures against human cases of avian Influenza in
India amid a human case of H9N2 (Avian influenza virus) reported in China in October 2023."The overall risk assessment by WHO indicates a
low probability of human to human spread and low case fatality rate among human cases of H9N2 reported to WHO so far," it said.The ministry
added that there is a need for strengthening surveillance among human, animal husbandry and wild life sectors and improving coordination.The
statement that India is prepared for any kind of "public health exigency".It noted that there has also been a significant strengthening of
experience of dealing with challenging health situations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
