Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted the significance of robust health systems for pandemic preparedness and disease surveillance, aiming to ensure widespread protection against major disease outbreaks. On Tuesday, Mandaviya laid the foundation stone for the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) regional branch in Assam and six state branches in Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, West Bengal, and Mizoram. Additionally, he virtually inaugurated BSL-3 labs in Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand from the NCDC headquarters.
The new NCDC branches and laboratories, working under a "One Health" approach, are expected to enhance the country's capacity to tackle pandemics and monitor diseases. Specifically, the regional branches will play a crucial role in addressing diseases with regional variations like Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), Kyasanur forest disease (KFD), and scrub typhus.
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Mandaviya emphasised that once functional, these state branches and laboratories will significantly boost the nation's preparedness and response capabilities, especially for diseases prone to outbreaks by high-risk pathogens. The newly inaugurated health infrastructure, including the temporary NCDC regional branch in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, aims to strengthen surveillance, diagnostics, and public health preparedness at regional, district, and block levels.
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Reiterating the government's commitment to strengthening infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response, Mandaviya stated that these initiatives are in the interest of the local populace. The minister emphasised the crucial role of health systems reaching all individuals, especially the most vulnerable, in ensuring better protection against major disease outbreaks.