What happened
The Union Health Ministry has said that India is strengthening preparedness against emerging infectious diseases through surveillance systems, laboratory networks, genomic tools, wastewater surveillance, and outbreak-response drills. The ministry linked this preparedness to the National Centre for Disease Control, the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the Pradhan Mantri - Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.
Background and earlier position
India already had a national framework for disease surveillance through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, which is implemented by the National Centre for Disease Control. The Indian Council of Medical Research has also built diagnostic capacity through the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories network, which supports laboratory confirmation of infectious diseases.
What changed now
The ministry said the surveillance and response system has been reinforced through expansion of the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories network, establishment of Infectious Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratories, and creation of Regional Next-Generation Sequencing Hubs for pathogen characterisation. The ministry also said coordination between the Centre and the States has been strengthened through real-time reporting under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and the Integrated Health Information Platform, along with simulation exercises and mock drills.
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