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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
8 per cent infectious disease outbreaks during 2018-2023 spread from animals to humans, study says
Zoonotic outbreaks consistently peaked during June, July, and August, researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai said. Typically, about seven zoonotic outbreaks -- also sometimes called 'spillover events' -- occurred in a month, and such instances significantly increased over the years, specifically, post-pandemic, the study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal found. Study highlights The team analysed a total of 6,948 outbreaks reported under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) to identify trends. Of these, 583 (8.3 per cent) were zoonotic -- Japanese encephalitis was found to account for 29.5 per cent of zoonotic outbreaks, followed by leptospirosis (18.7 per cent) and scrub typhus (13.9 per cent). Region-wise, the northeast part of the country contributed 35.8 per cent of zoonotic disease outbreaks, followed by the southern (31.7 per cent) and western regions (15.4 per cent), the researchers found. They added that late reporting of disease outbreaks has declined over the years -- 52.6 per cent in 2019, 40.9 per cent in 2021, and 5.2 per cent in 2023. Overall, a third of the outbreaks during the study period were reported late, the team said. "Of the 6948 outbreaks reported in IDSP, 583 (8.3 per cent) were zoonotic, with a median of seven monthly zoonotic outbreaks. Outbreaks significantly increased over the years," the authors wrote. Further research required The researchers said that while outbreaks of measles, chickenpox, and dengue have been individually analysed, zoonotic events from the national-level infectious disease surveillance system have not been comprehensively examined. A lack of analysis of geographical patterns and documentation of reporting delays hindered evidence-based decision-making and targeted interventions, the team said. "Critical gaps in weekly outbreak reports were identified, particularly the lack of follow-up documentation. To address these gaps, we recommend strengthening disease-specific surveillance systems in hotspot regions," the authors concluded.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
8 per cent infectious disease outbreaks during 2018-2023 spread from animals to humans, study says
New Delhi: Over eight per cent of outbreaks reported under India's infectious disease surveillance system between 2018 and 2023 were zoonotic -- spread from animals to humans, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis. Zoonotic outbreaks consistently peaked during June, July, and August, researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai said. Typically, about seven zoonotic outbreaks -- also sometimes called 'spillover events' -- occurred in a month, and such instances significantly increased over the years, specifically, post-pandemic, the study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal found. The team analysed a total of 6,948 outbreaks reported under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) to identify trends. Of these, 583 (8.3 per cent) were zoonotic -- Japanese encephalitis was found to account for 29.5 per cent of zoonotic outbreaks, followed by leptospirosis (18.7 per cent) and scrub typhus (13.9 per cent). Region-wise, the northeast part of the country contributed 35.8 per cent of zoonotic disease outbreaks, followed by the southern (31.7 per cent) and western regions (15.4 per cent), the researchers found. They added that late reporting of disease outbreaks has declined over the years -- 52.6 per cent in 2019, 40.9 per cent in 2021, and 5.2 per cent in 2023. Overall, a third of the outbreaks during the study period were reported late, the team said. "Of the 6948 outbreaks reported in IDSP, 583 (8.3 per cent) were zoonotic, with a median of seven monthly zoonotic outbreaks. Outbreaks significantly increased over the years," the authors wrote. The researchers said that while outbreaks of measles, chickenpox, and dengue have been individually analysed, zoonotic events from the national-level infectious disease surveillance system have not been comprehensively examined. A lack of analysis of geographical patterns and documentation of reporting delays hindered evidence-based decision-making and targeted interventions, the team said. "Critical gaps in weekly outbreak reports were identified, particularly the lack of follow-up documentation. To address these gaps, we recommend strengthening disease-specific surveillance systems in hotspot regions," the authors concluded. PTI
Mint
7 days ago
- Health
- Mint
India reports 1,000 active covid cases
New Delhi: Covid is on the rise in India, with over 1,000 active cases registered in the current spell, the health ministry's covid-19 dashboard showed on Monday. Of these, 752 have been confirmed as positive recently. Kerala is reporting the highest number of active cases at 430, followed by Maharashtra with 209, Delhi (104), Gujarat (83), Tamil Nadu (69), Karnataka (47), Uttar Pradesh (15), Rajasthan (13), West Bengal (10) and Madhya Pradesh (2). Some of this is the outcome of better testing. A total of seven covid-related deaths have been recorded since 19 May—four in Maharashtra, two in Kerala and one Karnataka. However, official confirmation from the health ministry is awaited. Increased testing follows a sudden spurt of cases in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and other Asian countries, due to the two new variants of coronavirus—NB.1.8.1 and LF.7—arising from the JN.1 variant prevalent since 2023. According to the INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics or Indian SARS-CoV-2), India has reported one case of the newly emerging covid-19 variant NB.1.8.1 and four of LF.7 originating from the JN.1 variant. The World Health Organization (WHO) says both these strains are 'Variants Under Monitoring' and not 'Variants of Concern' or 'Variants of Interest.' Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl said the current spike is being monitored through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP). Bahl said the government is keeping a close watch on the transmission, number of cases, and severity of cases. 'So far, the severity remains low. There's no cause for panic. The government is vigilant and well prepared to tackle this.' On Saturday, health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava reviewed the matter with senior government officials and health agencies like ICMR, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). It was highlighted during the meeting that most of these cases are mild and under home care. Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, public health expert, warned, "People are recovering quickly but one should not do self-medication and should refrain from using antibiotics.' On Sunday, Mint reported that diagnostic chains Aglius Diagnostics (formerly SRL), Lal Path labs, Dr Dang and Redcliffe Labs have seen a significant increase in covid-19 testing since the beginning of May 2025.
