Volume 28, Supplement—December 2022
SUPPLEMENT ISSUE
Workforce
India Field Epidemiology Training Program Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020–2021
Table 2
Response type | FETP officers | Location and date | Policy implications |
---|---|---|---|
COVID-19 cluster containment in the initial phase of the pandemic |
2 |
Northern India, March 2020 |
Implementation of a coordinated containment plan served as a template for management of COVID-19 clusters in India. |
COVID-19 outbreak investigation in a healthcare facility |
2 |
Northern India, March 2020 |
Infection prevention control checklist developed for routine healthcare delivery during the pandemic (7). |
COVID-19 outbreak linked to a fish market—a case-control study |
2 |
Southern India, June 2020 |
Findings underpinned the need for adherence to physical distancing, masking, and implementation of testing and contact-tracing programs in marketplaces during periods of ongoing community transmission. |
COVID-19 cluster investigation in a residential training institute |
1 |
Northeastern India, March 2021 |
Implementation of school infection control assessment tool (8). |
Support in establishing digital COVID-19 surveillance system |
1 |
Southern India, May 2020 |
Surveillance system provided flexibility to accommodate changes in the testing and contact-tracing guidelines, resulting in optimal testing and contact tracing. |
Monitoring consumption of oxygen during the second COVID-19 wave |
1 |
Southern India, April 2021 |
Timely interventions reduced the district oxygen requirement by >43% (1,765–1,004 L per patient per day). Similar models were recommended to be replicated in other districts to optimize the oxygen requirement. |
Response to Kumbh Mela |
16 |
Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India, March 2021 |
Daily feedback from FETP officers led to an overall increase of 21% (62%–83%) in mask use and a 14% (31%–45%) improvement in the correct use of masks among those who were already using a mask. |
*FETP, Field Epidemiology Training Program. |
References
- United Nations Statistics Division. World statistics pocketbook: India-country profile. 2020 [cited 2021 Nov 10]. http://data.un.org/en/iso/in.html
- National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. States and Union Territories. 2020 [cited 2021 Nov 10]. http://www.goidirectory.gov.in/district.php
- Al Nsour M, Khader Y, Al Serouri A, Bashier H, Osman S. Awareness and preparedness of Field Epidemiology Training Program graduates to respond to COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: cross-sectional study. JMIR Med Educ. 2020;6:
e19047 . DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar - André AM, Lopez A, Perkins S, Lambert S, Chace L, Noudeke N, et al. Frontline Field Epidemiology Training Programs as a strategy to improve disease surveillance and response. Emerg Infect Dis. 2017;23:S166–73. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
- Jones DS, Dicker RC, Fontaine RE, Boore AL, Omolo JO, Ashgar RJ, et al. Building global epidemiology and response capacity with Field Epidemiology Training Programs. Emerg Infect Dis. 2017;23:S158–65. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
- Singh SK, Murhekar M, Gupta S, Minh NNT, Sodha SV; Training Programme Working Group*. Building public health capacity through India Epidemic Intelligence Service and Field Epidemiology Training Programs in India. Indian J Public Health. 2021;65(Suppl 1):S1–4. DOIPubMedGoogle Scholar
- National Centre for Disease Control. India. Infection prevention control checklist [cited 2021 Dec 5]. https://ncdc.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=823&lid=617
- National Centre for Disease Control. India. School infection control assessment tool [cited 2021 Nov 10]. https://www.ncdc.gov.in/showfile.php?lid=637
- Rajya Sabha. Parliament of India. Parliament standing committee on health and family welfare one hundred twenty third report on the outbreak of pandemic COVID-19 and its management [cited 2021 Nov 10]. https://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/Committee_site/Committee_File/ReportFile/14/142/123_2020_11_15.pdf
- World Health Organization Benchmarks for International Health Regulations (IHR) Capacities. Geneva. Organization. 2019.
- Global Health Security Agenda. Workforce development [cited 2021 Nov 15]. https://ghsagenda.org/workforce-development
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