Karnataka’s TAC recommends setting up of Centre for Pandemic Preparedness, vaccine policy
The Hindu
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has also recommended that Karnataka formulate a vaccine policy on the lines of that of the Kerala Government
Karnataka’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has recommended that the State establish a Centre for Pandemic Preparedness (CPP) to help predict and prevent future outbreaks through stringent surveillance.
TAC members, who deliberated on this issue at the committee’s 185th meeting last week, concurred that the lessons from the previous epidemics and pandemics should be invested in the CPP.
TAC Chairman M.K. Sudarshan told The Hindu that the CPP should be able to forecast pandemics, and alert the government about any new pandemic based on surveillance. “The centre should also ensure preparedness for successful response in terms of skilled and adequate manpower, equipment, facilities, and communication, among other aspects. This should be a part of the State’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP),” he said.
The TAC’s report referred to the 1994 pneumonic plague in India that affected Karnataka too. “Subsequently, pandemics like SARS in 2002 and H1N1 in 2009 affected the State. In 2013, there was a threat of Ebola but did not affect the State. But SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hit the world, country and the State badly in 2020 (original / Wuhan strain, first wave). It continued with much more severity in 2021 (Delta strain, second wave) and in a milder form in early 2022 (Omicron, third wave), and thereafter showing signs of gradual decline with fewer hospitalisations and deaths,” the report stated.
“Parallelly, the primary vaccination coverage has been fairly good locally, nationally, globally. At present, there is a gradual decline in the pandemic that has led to relaxations of curbs in most of the countries, including in India, and the State. Consequently there has been easing of restrictions related to travel and business all over the world. However, in recent times, new epidemics like Nipah virus and pandemic like Monkeypox have hit the country, but have not caused much morbidity and mortality,” according to the report.
The TAC has recommended that the State formulate a vaccine policy on the lines of that of the Kerala Government.
Recommending that a technical expert committee be set up for drafting the policy, the TAC has said that the committee should comprise senior pediatricians (covering childhood vaccinations) with affiliation to Indian Academy of Paediatrics, senior physicians (covering adult vaccinations, including pregnancy and women) with affiliation to Association of Physicians of India (API), specialists in infectious diseases and those managing vaccine preventable diseases.