The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, in his message on the eve of World Tuberculosis Day, which is observed every year on March 24, has said:-
“I am happy to learn that World Tuberculosis Day is being observed on 24th March, 2020 to commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Robert Koch’s discovery of the Tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in 1882.
Government of India has committed to eliminate prevalence of TB by 2025, with commensurate resources to rapidly reduce TB incidence prevalence and mortality in India. I appreciate the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for implementing the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017-2025).
The Ministry deserves to be complemented for working tirelessly to improve quality of treatment and to create comprehensive support systems for TB patients.
On this occasion, I appeal to all the stakeholders to come together to reinforce the efforts in "TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign" and to ensure that this campaign becomes truly a people's movement”.
The proposal may include technologically innovative solutions like low-cost masks, cost-effective scanning devices, technologies for sanitization of large areas as well as for contactless entry, rapid diagnostic kits and oxygenators, and ventilators.
About Technology Development Board: It is a statutory body established by Technology Development Board Act, 1995. Objective: To promote development and commercialization of indigenous technology and adaptation of imported technology for much wider application.
Roles and functions of the board: Encourage enterprises to take up technology-oriented products. Provide equity capital or loans to industrial concerns and financial assistance to research and development institutions.
Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA): In order to stimulate private sector’s investment in R&D, TDB has established Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA).
It is a joint venture between Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and TDB with an equity contribution of 51:49 respectively.
The GITA will assist Department of Science & Technology (DST) in implementing industrial research and development programme with different countries under bilateral and multilateral science and technology cooperation agreements.
Key features: The scheme provides for development of world class infrastructure along with common facilities and amenities through Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs).
The Scheme would support setting up of both Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) and Common Facility Centers (CFCs).
Where can these clusters be setup? An Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) would set up in geographical areas of certain minimum extent, preferably contiguous, where the focus is on development of basic infrastructure, amenities and other common facilities for the ESDM units.
For Common Facility Centre (CFC), there should be a significant number of existing ESDM units located in the area and the focus is on upgrading common technical infrastructure and providing common facilities for the ESDM units in such EMCs, Industrial Areas/Parks/industrial corridors.
Benefits of the scheme: Availability of ready infrastructure and Plug & Play facility for attracting investment in electronics sector.
New investment in electronics sector Jobs created by the manufacturing units; Revenue in the form of taxes paid by the manufacturing units
What are the stages of a pandemic? In the first stage of a disease epidemic that eventually takes the form of a pandemic sweeping the globe, cases are imported into a country in which the infection did not originate. An infection whose spread is contained within the boundaries of one or a few countries is obviously not a pandemic.
The second stage is when the virus starts being transmitted locally. Local transmission means that the source of the infection is from within a particular area and the trajectory the virus has taken from one person to the next is clearly established.
The third stage is that of community transmission.
What is community spread of the infection? The World Health Organisation (WHO) says community transmission “is evidenced by the inability to relate confirmed cases through chains of transmission for a large number of cases, or by increasing positive tests through sentinel samples (routine systematic testing of respiratory samples from established laboratories)”.
In the simplest terms, community spread is when you do not know the source of the infection — you are unable to trace it back to someone who has travelled in an affected area overseas, or got it through contact with someone who is infected.
Why it is worrisome? Community spread implies that the virus is now circulating in the community, and can infect people with no history — either of travel to affected areas, or of contact with the infected person.
In a situation of community transmission, it is theoretically possible for every person regardless of where they are from or whether they have been in contact, to spread the infection.
When can it be said that the virus is definitely in the stage of community spread? There have to be several cases of untraced infection source to conclude definitively that the outbreak has moved to the next level.
What is the fourth stage? It is when the disease becomes endemic in some countries. Among diseases that are currently endemic in India — meaning they occur round the year across the country — are malaria and dengue.
How does categorising an outbreak in this manner help? The stages of a pandemic are uniform the world over.
This is so because in today’s interconnected world, it is important to have a standardised phraseology that conveys the same thing to every person around the world, and helps countries prepare better.
The categorisation helps countries take specific actions that are necessary to target just that particular scenario.
Worldwide, in which stage is the COVID-19 pandemic now? The pandemic has spread to nearly every country on the planet. In most, though, it is in the stage of either imported cases or local transmission.
Among the countries where community transmission seems to be operating are China, Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan.
How should India be prepared now? Isolation, and not indiscriminate testing, is the only way India can limit the spread of COVID-19. A lockdown is the most important step in breaking transmission of the infection.