Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 4: In the first round of ICMR’s serosurvey in district Pulwama, the seroprevalence in the district has reached 27.3% which was earlier recorded as just 2% in June this year.
The survey is titled ‘National sero-surveillance to monitor the trend of SARS-CoV-2 infection transmission in India. The Community-based surveillance’ across 60 districts and 10 hot-spot sites among all states and union territories of the country is being conducted.
It is aimed to see the changing trend of population response to SARS COV-2 infection over these months since the first round was held in May & June this year where the prevalence of IgG antibody titres were found 0.73% among the general population in the country.
In the second round, in Pulwama district, 413 blood samples were collected in ten different clusters and 113 reported to be positive for IgG antibodies against SARS CoV-2 Infection which makes it to 27.3% prevalence, with Sona Samilo village cluster showing highest 52.5% positive prevalence.
In the second round, the data was collected through app-based and blood samples were taken to assess immunoglobulin-Gamma (Ig-G) against SARS-CoV-2 which determine infection in recent past and the body’s immune response to the SARS CoV-2 infection. Each selected site collected data and blood samples of 413 participants of children over 10 years and the adult population.
ICMR conducted the study through its regional centres, however, the Director-General ICMR & Secretary, Department of Health Research, MOHFW, Government of India Dr Balram Bhargava had again asked Government Medical College, Srinagar to conduct the study in Pulwama district on its behalf.
“A team from Government Medical College Srinagar comprising faculty, resident doctors and medical interns from Department of Community Medicine (SPM) were deputed by Dr Samia Rashid, principal/ dean, GMC Srinagar for conducting the survey in ICMR assigned ten clusters in district Pulwama,” Dr S. Muhammad Salim Khan, HOD Community Medicine, GMC Srinagar and nodal person for ICMR national serosurvey for COVID-19 of district Pulwama said.
The Pulwama study was coordinated by Dr Inaamul Haq and Dr Mariya Amin Qureshi Assistant Professors in the community medicine department, Government Medical College Srinagar. The blood samples were sent to ICMR lab at Chennai.
He said that people still need to follow SOPs religiously to prevent further spread of COVID-19 Infection in the community which include wearing masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.
Follow our WhatsApp channel