THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 13 April 2020 (Stage fright: On denying community transmission(The hindu))

Stage fright: On denying community transmission(The hindu)

Mains Paper 2:Health
Prelims level:Severe acute respiratory
Mains level:Severe acute respiratory infections study highlights

Context:

Even after denying community transmission by the India’s national taskforce for COVID-19, the Health Ministry on March 28 acknowledged on its website that there was “limited community transmission”.

Severe acute respiratory infections study highlights:

A paper in the Indian Journal of Medical Research,by ICMR and Health Ministry researchers, provides evidence of community transmission in 36 districts in 15 States.
The study is based on sentinel surveillance undertaken by the task force among severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) patients who have been hospitalised in public sector institutions to identify the spread and the extent of transmission of COVID-19 disease in the community.
If there were 1.9% (two of 106) SARI cases positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus by the end of March third week, the number increased to 104 by April 2.
Of the 102 coronavirus positive SARI cases tested between March 22 and April 2, 40 (39%) had no travel history or contact with a positive case.
Data on exposure were not available for 59 (58%) cases.

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Impact of community transmission on testing strategy:

The authors point out that antibody-based testing carried out in those testing negative for molecular test could have helped identify more positive cases.
With community transmission, or the third stage, now being confirmed in 36 districts, an expansion and change in testing strategy has become imperative in the high focus areas for the lockdown to be more meaningful.
Though the taskforce has not openly declared community transmission, it is reassuring to note that the ICMR has already initiated changes in the testing strategy in response to the change in the pattern of community spread.
On April 9, the ICMR revised the testing strategy for hotspots/clusters and large migration gatherings/evacuees centres.
While the criteria for testing across India remain the same, the testing norms for the high focus areas will now include people with influenza-like illness (ILI) with certain symptoms.
Antibody testing should be carried out whenever molecular tests on these patients turn out negative. It is important to include antibody testing along with molecular testing when necessary in the high focus areas.

Way forward:

Together with containment measures, this approach will help in snapping the transmission chain.
Syndromic surveillance of all SARI and ILI patients along with quick and effective tracing, quarantining and testing of their contacts should be the way forward now.
How well India responds now will determine whether the spread is contained quickly or leads to more cases and deaths.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1)With reference to the human to animal transmission of coronavirus, consider the following statements:
1. SARS-CoV2 infects respiratory cells after entering through a protein, which lies on the surface of the cells.
2. ACE2 is the protein in felines resembles ACE2 in humans.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2