Covid and Co-morbidity

Nearly three in four COVID patients have comorbidities and the proportion of those with diabetes and hypertension — the most common of secondary ailments — has fallen since July, an analysis of data on trends in COVID-19 prevalence maintained by the Health Ministry’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) reveals.

A rise in case load a wider profile of people were being infected and the wide variety of comorbidities that normally exist in a large population were coming to the fore
Nearly three in four COVID patients have comorbidities
For the IDSP’s purposes, only comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, asthma, chronic renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immuno-compromised conditions, malignancy, bronchitis and chronic neuromuscular disease are publicised. Except for diabetes and hypertension, each of these conditions on their own account for less than 2% of overall comorbidities.

In medicine, comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions often co-occurring with a primary condition. Comorbidity describes the effect of all other conditions an individual patient might have other than the primary condition of interest, and can be physiological or psychological.
It is believed that COVID-19, in those with underlying health conditions or comorbidities, has an increasingly rapid and severe progression, often leading to death.
Patients with COVID-19 disease who have comorbidities, such as hypertension or diabetes mellitus, are more likely to develop a more severe course and progression of the disease. Furthermore, older patients, especially those 65 years old and above who have comorbidities and are infected, have an increased admission rate into the intensive care unit (ICU) and mortality from the COVID-19 disease.

Integrated Disease Surveillance Project was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
A Central Surveillance Unit (CSU) at Delhi, State Surveillance Units (SSU) at all State/Union Territories (UTs) head quarters and District Surveillance Units (DSU) at all Districts have been established under it.
The objectives are a) to strengthen/maintain decentralized laboratory based and IT enabled disease surveillance systems for epidemic prone diseases to monitor disease trends. b) To detect and respond to outbreaks in the early rising phase through trained Rapid Response Teams (RRTs).

Integration and decentralization of surveillance activities through establishment of surveillance units at Centre, State and District level.
Human Resource Development – Training of State Surveillance Officers, District Surveillance Officers, Rapid Response Team and other Medical and Paramedical staff on principles of disease surveillance.
Use of Information Communication Technology for collection, collation, compilation, analysis and dissemination of data.
Strengthening of public health laboratories.
Inter sectoral Coordination for zoonotic diseases

Today Current Affairs Upsc Exam Syllabus & Previous Yearpaper.