In its first official reaction on the reports of mysterious flu outbreaks in China, the Union health ministry said that India is closely monitoring the situation in China. The health ministry also said that country is well-prepared to tackle any kind of health emergency that may emerge from the present flu outbreaks in northern China. On whether India should be worried about this new flu, the health ministry said that there is ‘low risk’ from avian influenza.
A statement released by the health ministry noted that there are media reports about the rising cases of respiratory illness among the children in northern China.
It also said that there has been no identification of an unusual pathogen or any unexpected clinic manifestations. The usual causes of respiratory illness have been implicated.
A meeting was held recently under the chairmanship of Directorate General of Health Services in which the preparedness measures against human cases of avain inflenza in India was discussed. A human case of H9N2 was reported in China in October 2023.
It was mentioned in an overall risk assessment by WHO that there is low probability of human to human spread and low case fatality rate among human cases of H9N2 reported to WHO so far.
However, the ministry emphasised on the need for strengthening surveillance among human, animal husbandry and wild life sectors along with improving conditions. India is prepared for any sort of “public health exigency”.
There has been a significant strengthening of health infrastructure post Covid pandemic. India’s surveillance and detection networks now have ample experience in dealing with challenges in health situations.
As China has been grappling with a spike in respiratory illnesses, WHO has sought data from Chinese authorities and urged the citizens to take precautions.
