Bhubaneswar Undertakes Sero-Surveillance To Ascertain Extent Of COVID-19 Spread

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to ascertain the level of COVID-19 spread in the region and for efficient management and control in the state capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started sero-surveillance from Saturday. The sero-surveillance is being conducted with the support of the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar.

Speaking about the exercise, Dr Jaising, RMRC Scientist, said, “We have been providing technical support to the state government on a COVID-19 response plan, as a part of it we have initiated a COVID sero-surveillance study under BMC. The objectives of this study are to estimate the level of community transmission, if any, to see the community infection level, among other things. The first round of survey is commencing today, the second round will be done after 28 days, followed by further rounds.”

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In this phase, we are taking 900 samples from the community and 1,600 from high-risk groups. A total of 2,500 samples which will be repeated in further rounds. We have selected 25 wards randomly and from those wards, we have selected random localities and from them, we are selecting one household. This will help in finding out the transmission status, he added.

Meanwhile, Amaresh Jena, corporator of ward number 45 where the study is being carried out said that his area was likely selected as four to five COVID-19 cases were found out from the area.

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It is being conducted to find out if there is any community spread in the area. I thank the government for starting this study here, Mr Jena said.

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. 

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