DPH NEWSLETTER

September 16 2021

DPH NEWSLETTER

Volume 01 Issue 07

The official fortnightly publication of Directorate of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Government of Tamil Nadu

| Page [email protected] www.tndphpm.com @tndphpm @tndphpm @tndphpm @tndphpm

From the Director...Dear Friends, Selfie moments !!! While taking Selfie, you are in total control. Only you / your interest matter at that moment and how you want to see yourself in selfie is what you would like to be seen by the world. For better picture, de-program the precon-ceived notions, misconceptions and triggers etc. to become a better version of us. Move forward towards the incidents that test us and teach us which will propel us towards the best. Finally, accept you as it is seen in the Selfie, including your flaws and thoughts and live a life full of growth, glory and grace. -Dr. T.S.Selvavinayagam, MD, DPH, DNB

Director of Public Health & Preventive Medicine

Mega Vaccination Campaign 'Mega Vaccination Campaign on Covid 19 Vaccination' was organised by the Director-ate of Public Health & Preventive Medicine on 12th Sept. 2021, Sunday in IPPI (Intensi-fied Pulse Polio Immunization) mode. A total of 29.05 lakhs people (1st dose: 21,48,526 and 2nd dose: 7,42,495) were vaccinated in 40,000 vaccination booths across all the districts in Tamil Nadu. It is the highest sin-gle-day vaccination carried out among simi-larly populated states in the country.

Whole Genome Sequencing Laboratory at DPH&PM, Chennai

A state-of-art Whole Genome Se-quencing (WGS) Laboratory is established in the State Public Health Laboratory (SPHL), DPH&PM, Chennai at a cost of Rs. 4 Crores. The WGS lab is the first of its kind in India set up by any State Government and was inaugurated by Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 14.09.2021. Currently, the WGS lab would be used to detect the emer-gence of new SARS CoV-2 variants in Tamil Nadu, to forecast Early Warning Signals (EWS) of impending threats due to emer-gence of new variants of Corona Virus, in the community. This will enable the initiation of appropriate preventive and control mea-sures to curtail the disease transmission.

National Nutrition Month : Sept.2021 As part of Poshan Abhiyaan (Nutrition Campaign), Poshan Maah (National Nu-trition Month) is observed from 1st to 30th September 2021, with emphasis on re-ducing low birth weight and malnutrition (undernutrition & obesity) among children and anaemia among adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers. A drive for early identification of children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) will continue for couple of months to minimize the risk of complications due to SAM. The children identified with SAM will be referred to District Early Intervention Center (DEIC) for treatment and followup.

To strengthen the community support, Poshan (Nutrition) Panchayats (Grama Sabha) are organised with members of Vil-lage Health Sanitation and Nutrition Com-mittee (VHSNC) and public to discuss the ongoing activities, health and nutrition edu-

Hon'ble Health Minister and Health Officials of Tamilnadu with the Hon'ble Minister of Maharashtra on 13.09.21

24x7 Covid19 Vaccination Center at DMS Campus, Teynampet

Hon'ble Chief Minister handed over appointment orders under Compassionate Grounds to 91 individuals on 14.09.2021.

News Bits...• As on 13th Sept., 52% of eligible popu-lation in Tamil Nadu have been vaccinated with 1 dose and 15% have been vaccinat-ed with both doses of Covid-19 vaccine.• Till Sept. 15th, 19,97,586 RT-PCR tests for Covid-19 done in SPHL, DPH & PM.

Hon'ble Chief Minister inaugurating Genomic Sequencing Laboratory at State Public Health Laboratory, Teynampet on 14.09.21

Hon'ble Health Minister inaugurating the Mega Covid19 Vaccination Campaign at Madurai on 12.09.21

In this issue...

World Suicide Prevention Day | P2

Training on Malaria and Filaria Microscopy | P2

Quiz - Solutions | P4

Standard Error | P4

World Patient Safety Day | P3

Testing for Nipah and Zika virus | P3

Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) Programme | P3

World Rabies Day | P4

National Deworming Day Campaign | P2

Quiz | P2

cation, challenges faced, and remedial mea-sures are taken. The ASHAs are incentivised up to Rs.150/- per month for conducting these activities in coordination with mothers’ group meeting and adolescent health day.

World Suicide Prevention Day World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD), celebrated annually on 10 September, is or-ganized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Federation for Mental Health. The event represents a global commit-ment to focus attention on suicide pre-vention. The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) initiated World Suicide Prevention Day in 2003. The theme for year 2021, “Creat-ing Hope through Action” reflects the need for collective, action to ad-dress this urgent public health issue. The aim of the day is to do research and collect data on suicidal behaviour, determine the causes, why its signs go unnoticed, and developing sound prac-tices and policies for suicide prevention. According to WHO, suicide is committed somewhere in the world every 40 seconds. Approximately 800,000 people die every year due to suicide. These figures are star-tling, considering that suicide is prevent-able. Undiagnosed and untreated mental illness is the biggest reason behind suicide. Suicide can be prevented by promotion of mental health, alcohol and substance use re-duction policies, promoting responsible media reporting on suicide and restricting access to means for suicide (e.g., pesticides, firearms etc.). Social stigma and a lack of aware-ness remain major barriers to help-seeking for suicide, highlighting the need for mental health literacy and anti-stigma campaigns. The State of Tamilnadu has implement-ed many strategies for suicide prevention through District Mental Health Programme.Further, activities are undertaken through NGOs and PPP mode. A dedicated toll free 104 helpline is made available by Govern-ment of Tamilnadu for providing support and counselling services for those with depres-sion and suicidal thoughts.

National Deworming Day Campaign: Sept. 13th - 27th, 2021 The National Deworming Campaign is an initiative to make every child in the country

worm-free with an objective to deworm all preschool and school-age children (enrolled and non-enrolled) between the ages of 1-19 years every 6 months. According to World Health Organization, 241 million children between age 1 and 14 years are at risk of parasitic infections by Soil-Transmitted Helminths (STH) in India. Around 28% of the total number of children across the world who are at risk of STH in-fection are in India. Soil contaminated with faecal matter contains Roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) and hookworms (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale).

Mode of Transmission: Adult worms live in human intestines for their food and survival and produce thousands of eggs each day → Eggs are passed in the faeces of infected person → Infected people who defecate out-doors spread worm eggs in the soil → Eggs contaminate the soil and spread infection in several ways: Ingestion through improperly cooked/washed/peeled vegetables and con-taminated water sources; ingestion by chil-dren who play in soil and then put their hands in their mouths without washing them. STH infections can lead to anaemia, mal-nutrition, impaired mental, physical & cogni-tive development, and reduced school par-ticipation. STH Infections can be prevented by using sanitary toilets, avoiding open-air defecation, hand-washing - particularly be-fore eating and after using toilets, wearing slippers/shoes, washing fruits/vegetables in clean water and eating properly cooked food. The National Deworming Day Campaign 2021 is being held by the Directorate of Pub-lic Health & Preventive Medicine from Sep-tember 13th to September 27th. Children and adolescents aged between 1-19 years and all women aged 20-30 years (except pregnant and lactating women) will be pro-vided with Albendazole tablets. The tablets will be distributed through schools and Anganwadi centres to improve their overall health, nutritional status, access to education and quality of life of all children. This is one of the largest public health pro-grams reaching large number of children

during a short period. A total of 2.8 crore beneficiaries will be covered through this programme in Tamil Nadu.

Training on Malaria andFilaria Microscopy

The newly recruited Laboratory Techni-cians for the Primary Health Centres in Tamil Nadu are given training on Malaria and Filaria microscopy at the Institute of Vector Control and Zoonoses (IVCZ). This is an in-service training provided by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine to enhance and update their knowledge. The main purpose of this training is to strengthen and improve surveillance activity for Malaria and Filaria in the field. Hands-on training is provided on Malar-ia microscopy including collection of blood smears, staining, examination and identifica-tion of all stages of malarial parasites. They were also trained in Filaria night blood survey (NBS), collection of blood smears, staining and examination of microfilaria. The training also includes module on re-porting and record-keeping, in order to main-tain uniformity in reporting pattern throughout the state.

Quiz1. What is the theme for World Heart Day-2021?2. Which fruits are best for heart? 3. Which country observed the first national deworming day?4. How many doses of ARV are given as pre- exposure prophylaxis?5. How is rabies immunoglobulin adminis-tered?6. Why is Alzheimer's worse at night?7. What is Sundowning stage in Alzheimer's disease?8. Who is more ideal person to donate bone marrow?9. What is the upper age limit for bone mar-row donation? 10. What disqualifies you from being a bone marrow donor?


September 16 2021 Volume 01 Issue 07DPH NEWSLETTER

September 16 2021 Volume 01 Issue 07DPH NEWSLETTERWorld Patient Safety Day 2021:

'Safe maternal and newborn care' To err is human, to cover up is unforgivable and to fail to

learn is inexcusable! - Sir Liam Donaldson 'Patient safety' is a health care discipline that emerged due to the growing complexity of health care systems and the rise of patient safety concern in health care facilities. Iatro-genic events are one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. 'World Patient Safety Day' was established by the 72nd World Health Assembly in May 2019, following adoption of resolution WHA72.6 on ‘Global action on patient safety’ on Septem-ber 17 every year. Globally, it is estimated that 810 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, around 6,700 newborns die every day, amounting to 47% of all under-5 deaths. Moreover, about 2 million babies are stillborn every year, with over 40% occurring during labor. The ma-jority of maternal and newborn deaths are avoidable through the provision of safe and quality care by skilled health professionals working in supportive environments. This can be achieved through adoption of com-prehensive health systems and communi-ty-based approaches.

Objectives of World Patient Safety Day 2021: Raise global awareness on the issues of maternal and newborn safety, particularly during childbirth, engage multiple stakehold-ers and adopt effective and innovative strat-egies to improve maternal and newborn care particularly during childbirth, advocate the adoption of best practices to prevent avoid-able risks and harm to all women and new-borns during childbirth. The theme for 2021 is “Safe Maternal and Newborn Care”. The signature mark of the global campaign is to light up iconic monuments, landmarks, public places and all Public Health facilities in orange colour and undertaking Patient Safety Oath on 17th September. This year, celebration has been planned for a week from 11th September to 17th September, as Patient Safety Week by conducting webinars and awareness activities.

Testing for Nipah and Zika virus at DPH&PM

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus trans-mitted from animal to humans, person to person and through contaminated food.The symptoms of NiV infection range from mild (Fever, Headache, Cough, Sore throat) to severe (Seizures, Coma, Encephalitis) with Case Fatality Rate of 40%–70%. The samples should be collected within 4-5 days after onset of illness and transported to National Institute of Virology, Pune which is the testing laboratory for diagnosis of Nipah virus infection.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an RNA arboviral pathogen from the Flaviviridae family trans-mitted by Aedes mosquitoes, causing Guil-lain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). Non-vector transmis-sion like sexual transmission, monkey bite and Mother-to-Child transmission during pregnancy are reported as potential routes of transmission. Recently Zika virus was report-ed in Kerala, and as on date 18 cases have been documented. Diagnosis of ZIKV infec-tion is by RT-PCR Test (confirmatory test). The samples are collected within 5 days after the onset of symptoms. Serology detection of IgM antibodies by ELISA. State Public Health Laboratory (SPHL), functioning under the Directorate of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Chennai has the capacity to test for Zika virus Zika specific RT-PCR test kits are avail-able in SPHL. Human samples and mosqui-to pools could be tested for ZIKV at SPHL for laboratory confirmation. SPHL has also tested a total of 125 Aedes mosquito pools collected from the bordering areas of Kera-la and all the pools were Negative for Zika Virus. Nipah testing kits have also been pur-chased recently for SPHL and testing will begin soon.

Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) Programme

Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old. It is both preventable and treatable. Each year, diarrhoea kills around 5.25 lakhs children less than five years of age. Intensified Diarrhea Control Fortnight Pro-gramme (IDCF) will be held from 16.09.2021 to 30.09.2021 in Tamil Nadu. The objective of this programme is Zero-diarrheal death under the age of 0-5 years. Approximately 64.34 lakhs less than 5 years of age children are benefited.

Field Health Functionaries (VHN, UHN, ANMs, ASHAs and Anganwadi workers) will go door to door to distribute Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) packets and Zinc tablets and demonstrate preparation and direction of its use. ORS packets and Zinc tablets will be displayed in ORS Corners in all PHCs and Government Hospitals. Those children under the age of 5 years, suffering from Diarrhea will be given ORS packets and 14 Zinc tab-lets. Zinc tablets helps in reducing duration of diarrhea, improve nutrition and the immune system. For implementation of this scheme, 78.96 lakhs ORS packets and 1.69 crore Zinc tab-lets will be distributed to all districts across the state. Mothers and family members will be educated and children with severe diar-rhea will be identified and referred to PHCs or Government Hospital immediately.

Covid19 Vaccination - Special drive in Narikurava colony in Viluppuram

Covid19 vaccination camp was held for 384 residents of the Narikurava colony under the Vizhuppuram municipal limits on 03.09.2021.


Published by Health Education Bureau (HEB), Directorate of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, ChennaiPlease send your feedbacks & articles to [email protected]

Editorial Board : Dr. A. Somasundaram, Additional Director - Public Health TNDr. J . Nirmalson, Joint Director - Public Health TNDr. V. Vijayalakshmi, Joint Director - Public Health TNDr. C. Ajith Brabhu Kumar, Senior Health Officer - Public Health TN


Standard Error Standard Error (SE) is a mathematical tool used in statistics to measure variability. It en-ables one to arrive at an estimation of what the Standard Deviation (SD) of a given sam-ple is. SE used to estimate the efficiency, ac-curacy, and consistency of a sample. In other words, it measures how precisely a sampling distribution represents a population. We seldom know the population Standard Deviation (σ), and so we use the sample standard deviation (s), in its place to estimate the standard error.

Importance of Standard Error: When a sample of observations is extracted from a population and the sample mean is calculat-ed, it serves as an estimate of the population mean and the sample mean will vary from the actual population mean. It will aid to identify the extent of the variation. If multiple samples are not available, the Standard Error of the Mean (SEM) can be calculated from a single sample itself. Relationship between SEM and the Sam-ple Size: It is evident from the mathematical formula of the Standard Error of the Mean, that it is inversely proportional to the sample size. It can be verified using the SEM formu-la that if the sample size increases by four times, the standard error reduces by a factor of 2.Standard Deviation vs. Standard Error of the Mean: Standard Deviation and Standard Error of the Mean are both statistical mea-sures of variability. While the standard devia-tion of a sample depicts the spread of obser-vations within the given sample regardless of the population mean, the standard error of the mean measures the degree of disper-sion of sample means around the population mean.

Read this article in the following link!!!

An Economic evaluation of implementing a decentralized dengue screening inter-vention under the National Vector Borne

Disease Control Programme in Tamil Nadu, South India

https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihab045

Awareness on Prevention and Treatment of Rabies disease

https://youtu.be/U6TiFFAuers

World Rabies Day Every year, 'World Rabies Day' is observed on September 28th, the death anniversary of the French scientist, Louis Pasteur, who developed the rabies vaccine. Rabies, an acute viral disease causing fatal encephalitis is preventable, if animal bites are managed properly. The virus is transmitted to oth-er animals and human through their bites, scratches, licks on broken skin and mucous membrane. In India, dogs are responsible for about 97% human rabies, followed by cats (2%), fox, jackals, mongoose (1%). In Tamil Nadu, Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC) is functional 24x7 in all 36 Medical Colleges, 31 Head Quarters Hospitals, 2467 Primary Health Centers, 205 Taluk hospitals and 67 Non – Taluk hospitals where Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) is provided. Rabies Immuno-globulin (RIG) along with ARV is given for the Category III bites. A 24x7 service facility is available over phone through Toll-free number ‘104’ for free health care advice and guidance in case of animal bites. Department of Animal Husbandry and Local bodies are involved in reducing the population of stray dogs in the community, through activities like Animal Birth Control (ABC).

Mental Health Counselling Program

Mental Health Counselling Program for stu-dents who appeared for NEET exam was launched by Hon'ble Health Minister on 15.09.2021 at DMS campus through Toll-free number ‘104’ .

Quiz - Solutions1. Harnessing the power of digital health to improve awareness, prevention and man-agement of Cardio-vascular diseases glob-ally. 2. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are rich in antioxidants like anthocyanins, which protect against the ox-idative stress and inflammation that contrib-ute to the development of heart disease.3. The first National Deworming Day in India was observed on 10 February 2015.4. Three doses of vaccine on days 0, 7 and 28. A dose is either 1 standard intramuscular dose (0.5 or 1 mL) or 0.1mL intradermally. Site of injection: deltoid area of the arm for adults; anterolateral area of the thigh accept-able for children.5. In category 3 exposure, Rabies Immuno-globulin (RIG) is infiltrated into depth of the wound and around the wound as much as anatomically feasible, and remaining dose injected at an intramuscular site distant from that of vaccine inoculation6. An upset in the "internal body clock," caus-ing a biological mix-up between day and night. Reduced lighting can increase shad-ows and may cause the person living with the disease to misinterpret what they see and, subsequently, become more agitated.7. Sun-downing is a distressing symptom that affects people in mid to late-stage Alz-heimer's. Those with dementia can become hyperactive, agitated and confused, and these symptoms can extend into the night, causing sleep disruption.8. A brother or sister in the family is most like-ly to be a match. 9. According to World Marrow Donor Associ-ation (WMDA) standards, the upper age limit should not exceed 60 years.10. Autoimmune disorders like multiple scle-rosis, systemic lupus, chronic fatigue syn-drome and fibromyalgia will prevent you from donating marrow or blood-forming cells.

Forth Coming EventsSep 17 : World Patient Safety Day

Sep 21 : World Alzheimer's / Marrow Day

Sep 25 : World Pharmacists' Day

Sep 28 : World Rabies Day

Sep 29 : World Heart Day

September 16 2021 Volume 01 Issue 07DPH NEWSLETTER

https://youtu.be/U6TiFFAuers

https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihab045

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