Odisha braces up to tackle Disease-X

After COVID-19, the possible outbreak of Disease-X has now triggered worldwide concerns after the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned about the dreaded disease.  In a bid to tackle the possible outbreak, preparations have started in Odisha. 

According to the WHO, a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease. It could be a new agent - a virus, a bacterium or a fungus - without any known treatments.

Taking serious note of the WHO warning, the Odisha government is in the process of drawing up special strategies. The health department is preparing an action plan to identify zoonotic diseases with the help of the Animal Husbandry Department, the Wildlife Division and the Agriculture Department. 

Notably, a zoonotic disease is a disease or infection that can be transmitted naturally from animals to humans or from humans to animals. 

Health Director of Odisha, Dr Niranjan Mishra, informed, “Special labs will be opened at four places in Odisha to tackle zoonotic diseases. Apart from these labs, which will be opened at medical colleges in Koraput, Bolangir and Baripada, four more labs will be set at sentinel sites.”

Mishra also added that laboratory tests and genome sequencing will be carried out at these labs and an action plan is being prepared to deal with the disease. “Under the One Health programme, a two-day brainstorming session of all the chief district medical officers (CDMOs) and the chief district veterinary officers (CDVOs)  has been kicked off in Bhubaneswar,” he added. 

Dr. Simmi Tiwari, joint director of the NCDC, said, "Covid-19 warned us of a possible outbreak of such pandemics in future. Our public health systems will be made ready to deal with such future dangers."

In view of the outbreak of Disease-X in future, the WHO has taken up the One Health programme as a pilot project in some states including Odisha, in collaboration with the National Centre for Disease Control(NCDC) and the American Centre for Disease Control(CDC).