Notifiable Diseases

Notifiable Diseases Latest News

There is an ongoing debate on whether cancer should be designated as a notifiable disease in India.

What Are Notifiable Diseases?

• Notifiable diseases are legally mandated to be reported to public health authorities for monitoring, prevention, and control.
• Responsibility: The state governments are responsible for implementing and notifying diseases.
• Purpose: Early warning of outbreaks, tracking disease burden, and guiding elimination and control programs.
• Examples: Cholera, tuberculosis, AIDS, dengue, hepatitis, leprosy, meningitis, plague, and measles.
• WHO’s International Health Regulations (1969): Mandates countries to report diseases for global surveillance and advisory purposes.

About the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP)

• Launched in 1981 by ICMR, the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) is India’s primary cancer data collection system.
• Objectives:
  • Generate reliable data on cancer incidence, trends, and survival rates.
  • Conduct epidemiological studies to understand risk factors.
  • Support cancer control programs under the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP).
  • Train healthcare professionals in cancer registration and epidemiology.

Notifiable Diseases FAQs

Q1. What are notifiable diseases?

Ans. Notifiable diseases are infectious diseases that, by law, must be reported to public health authorities to monitor and control outbreaks.

Q2. Why are some diseases notifiable?

Ans. Diseases are made notifiable to track their spread, prevent outbreaks, and implement public health interventions to protect communities.

Q3. Who is responsible for reporting notifiable diseases?

Ans. Healthcare providers, laboratories, and sometimes the public are required to report cases of notifiable diseases to local or national health authorities.

Q4. What are some examples of notifiable diseases?

Ans. Common examples include tuberculosis, cholera, dengue, malaria, measles, rabies, COVID-19, and certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Source: TH