The administration of Indore had proposed the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to conduct a sero-surveillance survey in the city and this has move has now been approved. Tuesday onwards, 170 health workers will survey 85 wards in Indore, which was earlier considered as a primary COVID-19 hotspot of the state.
But what is sero-surveillance?
According to NCIRS, “Serosurveillance provides estimates of antibody levels against infectious diseases and is considered the gold standard for measuring population immunity due to past infection or vaccination. It is an important component of disease surveillance and complements notification, hospitalisation, mortality and immunisation coverage data. National serosurveillance programs are well established in many countries worldwide.”
Approximately 7,000 samples are to be collected
This sero-surveillance survey in Indore will approximately last for about a week and it is being assumed that around 7,000 samples will be collected. Each team of surveyors will include lab technicians, nurses and student nurses. The District Collector also stated that revenue officers, police personnel, sub-divisional magistrates (SDM), tehsildars, naib tehsildars and patwaris will assist the healthcare workers in their respective wards. This approval has ranked Madhya Pradesh as the 4th state to do so, after Delhi, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Two samples of each individual’s blood will be collected for research purposes and children who are between the ages of 1 to 18, have also been included in this survey. All of these samples will be tested via the ELISA-based rapid antibody test.
A message to all our readers
The situation right now is nothing less than a grave one and the authorities are putting their best foot forward to ensure our ultimate safety against this deadly virus. As a responsible citizen, please do follow the directives as suggested by the medical professionals. Even if you’re stepping out for your essentials, do not forget your masks and sanitizers and maintaining a distance is an absolute must!
