Faith hospital conducts prog. to combat dengue

Dimapur, Dec. 13(EMN): Faith Hospital Dimapur has organised an educational programme on “Dengue surveillance and outbreak response: What lessons for Dimapur” with Dr. Bertrand Lefebrve, Associate Professor of EHESP School of Public Health, Paris, as the resource person on December 13 in the hospital premises. Making presentation on ‘the global burden of dengue’ the professor maintained that each year 400 million new infections were detected out of which 100 million manifested as illness. He said four billion people in 128 countries are living at risk of infection adding there has been four-fold increase of dengue cases from 1990 to 2013. “A re-emerging disease is happening mainly because of globalisation and urbanisation with increased exposure of population (density, urban environment),” stated Dr. Lefebrve. Stressing on global strategy to combat dengue, he said new developments on vaccination are being made in Mexico, Brazil, Philippines, and Thailand to reduce mortality by 50% and morbidity by 25%. In a brief presentation on Dimapur scenario (but without much research), the professor suggested for a collective and integrated approach. He said that the main components of dengue surveillance outbreak detection leading to outbreak response can be conducted through vector surveillance, syndromatic surveillance, climate surveillance, regional surveillance, media surveillance rumours/reports, disease surveillance (case threshold), viral surveillance (circulating serotype). He also put forward model contingency plan of WHO for Dimapur through implementing managerial capacity- financial management, capacity building, risk communication, inter-sectoral cooperation, outbreak investigation and declaration. On vector control, he has suggested enhance community engagement, differentiate between outbreak and seasonal interventions, monitor insecticide resistance routinely, and focus on quality of vector interventions and on clinical services, he has suggested facilitating hospital contingency plans, ensure regular timely training, mortality reviews, and ensure timely alert of clinicians. Managing Director of Faith Hospital and CEO of Dimapur Medical Mission Dr. Sukhato A Sema informed that the seminar was organised to stay updated on the latest research going on in the field of dengue. Also he informed that the Dimapur Medical Mission will be initiating an intensive programme to help control the dengue epidemic in Dimapur next year.