Lok Sabha Question No. 3317 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-05
Subject: Study on Vector-borne Diseases
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Pradyut Bordoloi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3317 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2022

## 'STUDY ON VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES'

## 3317: SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI:

Will the Minister of HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has conducted any study on water-borne and vector-borne diseases in flood affected areas, if so, the details thereof including diseases prevalent in such areas;
- (b) whether  the  Government  is  taking  any  steps  to  monitor  and  prevent  consumption  of contaminated  water  and  water-borne  and  vector-borne  diseases  in  flood  affected  areas including Assam and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the other measures being taken to minimise disease risk in flood affected areas; and
- (d) the  number  of  cases  of  Japanese  encephalitis  reported  during  the  year  2021-22  till  date, State/UT-wise including Assam?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE ( DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a)  to  (d):  A  number  of  interrelated  factors  contribute  to  increased  risk  of  water-borne  and vector-borne diseases during and in the aftermath of floods. Some of these factors include:

-  Interruption of safe water and sanitation supplies which increases risk of outbreaks of waterand food borne diseases, such as cholera, hepatitis A & E, typhoid etc.
-  Vector  breeding  due  to  proliferation  of  vector  breeding  sites  which  transmit  vector  borne diseases like malaria, dengue etc.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)  has issued National Guidelines on Management of Floods in January, 2008 for holistic management of disasters due to floods. The guidelines  contain  details  regarding  measures  to  be  taken  for  prevention,  mitigation,  response (including emergency medical response) and recovery in context of management of floods.

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has issued a comprehensive 'Public Health Guidelines for Flood Events' which provides details on common public health effects due to floods, rapid need assessment, disease surveillance during and after flood with particular focus on water and food borne diseases; vector- borne diseases, and water, sanitation issues etc.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) through its State and District units takes disease surveillance & responds to outbreak of communicable diseases including those that are likely to be seen during floods or after-flood periods.

During  the  recent  floods  in  Assam,  Union  Ministry  of  Health  &  FW  coordinated  with  State health authorities on monitoring of diseases to enable detection of disease outbreaks.

As reported by the State Government of Assam, the disease surveillance units across all districts are monitoring outbreak prone diseases besides fever surveillance for vector borne diseases.

Further, State Government in convergence with Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) is  providing  safe  drinking  water  in  all  flood  affected  districts.  State  government  has  taken  up distribution of halogen (chorine) tablets and chlorination of contaminated water sources in flood affected areas. State has also taken up various community awareness initiative to promote use of safe drinking water and maintenance of hygiene.

State/UT-wise details  of  number  of  cases  of  Japanese  Encephalitis,  as  reported  by  States/UTs during the year 2021 and 2022 (till June, 2022) is as follows:

|   S. No. | States/ UTs    |   2021 | 2022 (till June, 2022)   |
|----------|----------------|--------|--------------------------|
|        1 | Assam          |    218 | 320*                     |
|        2 | Bihar          |     38 | 7                        |
|        3 | Chhattisgarh   |      5 | 0                        |
|        4 | Haryana        |      1 | 0                        |
|        5 | Jharkhand      |    180 | 10                       |
|        6 | Karnataka      |     20 | 0                        |
|        7 | Madhya Pradesh |     29 | 0                        |
|        8 | Manipur        |     13 | 0                        |
|        9 | Meghalaya      |      2 | 0                        |
|       10 | Odisha         |     18 | 4                        |
|       11 | Tamil Nadu     |     37 | 12                       |
|       12 | Tripura        |     25 | 0                        |
|       13 | Uttar Pradesh  |    153 | 9                        |
|       14 | Uttarakhand    |      1 | 0                        |
|       15 | West Bengal    |     47 | 2                        |

*Data as on July 2022

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