AP forms task force to combat communicable diseases

Vijayawada: In a bid to strengthen prevention and control of communicable diseases, the state government constituted a State-level Special Task Force Committee.

Announcing this in a statement here on Monday, medical and health minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav said the committee has been formed on the directions of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach to disease surveillance, preparedness and emergency response across the state. Health and family welfare commissioner Veerapandian will serve as the chairperson of the Task Force.

The 24-member committee comprises experts from leading national medical institutions and senior officials from key government departments, including animal husbandry, panchayat raj, municipal administration and agriculture.

The Task Force has been entrusted with the responsibility of formulating a comprehensive strategic plan to prevent and control the spread of communicable diseases such as dengue, malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, tuberculosis, leprosy and other infectious illnesses.

According to the minister, the committee will study preventive measures to be taken in advance and outline immediate control steps to be implemented in the event of sudden disease outbreaks. The strategic plan will also cover hospital preparedness, inter-departmental coordination, implementation of Central government guidelines, and the roles and responsibilities of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs). The Task Force will meet once every three months to review the status of communicable disease cases in the State, assess the effectiveness of ongoing control measures and examine other related issues.

Prominent medical experts appointed as members include Dr Himanshu Chauhan, additional director and head of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), CSU; Dr George Varghese, head of the infectious diseases department at CMC Vellore; Prof Dr Sumit Roy, head of clinical microbiology at AIIMS Mangalagiri; Dr Judo Joseph, medical superintendent of JMJ Chest Centre, Thrissur; Dr Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay, Professor of microbiology at Kasturba Medical College; Dr Saurabh, national professional officer from the World Health Organization (WHO); Dr Rangareddy, director of ICMR–Iquai; and Dr Kalpana, senior consultant, NCDC dengue division, New Delhi.

In addition, senior government officials are also part of the committee, including director of secondary health Dr Chakradhar Babu, panchayat raj commissioner Krishnateja.

The minister said the initiative would significantly enhance the state’s capacity to prevent outbreaks, respond swiftly to emergencies and protect public health through coordinated and science-based interventions.