TAC to submit proposal on pneumonia precautions today

Bengaluru: The Karnataka health department has directed the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee to convene a meeting to review the state’s preparedness and plan precautionary measures to prevent a spike in pneumonia in light of the reported rise in cases of the respiratory illness in China. 

The committee, headed by Dr K Ravi, head of the department of medicine, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), met on Monday to discuss the proposal. The proposal will be submitted to the government on Tuesday. 

“We are not seeing a rise in cases of pneumonia in the state; there are fewer cases of SARI as well. However, there are some reports of paediatric admissions with seasonal flu and influenza-like illnesses (ILI), which we are keeping a tight vigil on. We will issue an advisory if needed but it is most likely to not be different from the Centre’s guidelines,” said Dr Ravi. 

This comes in response to the Centre’s advisory to all states and Union Territories on Sunday to take stock of their public health and hospital preparedness.

Besides asking them to implement the ‘Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in the Context of Covid-19’, it has asked for all data regarding ILI/SARI to be uploaded on the government’s IDSP-IHIP portal. 

Randeep D, Health Commissioner, said the health department is also monitoring the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal and had requested data from all hospitals in the state to detect any spike in pneumonia cases and paediatric admissions for ILI.

“The department has ICU preparedness procedures in place. We have also
directed hospitals to procure essential drugs locally if the central supply is not enough,” he said. He added that mock drills to test oxygen supply and plants in all district, taluk, and government hospitals in Bengaluru were conducted a few days ago to understand the present condition and any necessary requirements.

However, Dr Ravindra Mehta, Founder-Director, VAAYU Chest and Sleep Centre, and Head of Department of Pulmonology, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, said: “In all likelihood, this may be a seasonal spike in viral infections and pneumonia cases and not harmful. However, vulnerable groups, such as those with existing lung conditions, may avoid crowds and mask up as precautionary measures.” 

We are not seeing a rise in cases of pneumonia in the state; there are fewer cases of severe acute respiratory illnesses (SARI) as well. However there are some reports of paediatric admissions with seasonal flu and influenza-like illnesses (ILI) which we are keeping a tight vigilance on. We will issue an advisory if needed but it is most likely to not be different from the Centre’s guidelines

Dr Ravi, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute