21 July 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

July 21st, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. India Ideas Summit
2. Sero-prevalence study conducted by National Centre for Disease Control

1. India Ideas Summit

Context:

PM to deliver the keynote address at India Ideas Summit on 22 July.

About the India Ideas Summit:

• The Summit is being hosted by the US-India Business Council.
• This year marks the 45^th anniversary of the formation of the Council.
• The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Building a Better Future’.
• The virtual Summit will feature high-level presence from Indian and US government policymakers, state-level officials, and thought leaders from business and society.
• The Summit will witness discussions on areas including India-US cooperation and the future of the relation between the two counties in a post-pandemic world.

About the US-India Business Council (USIBC):

• The USIBC was formed in 1975 as a business advocacy organization to enlighten and encourage the private sectors of both India and the United States to enhance investment flows.
• The organization serves as a direct link between business and Government leaders, resulting in increased trade and investment to strengthen ties between the two nations.
• Is partners with major Indian trade associations such as the CII, FICCI, NASSCOM, etc.

2. Sero-prevalence study conducted by National Centre for Disease Control

Context:

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) commissioned a sero-surveillance study in Delhi.

Details:

• This study has been done by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in collaboration with Govt. of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, following a rigorous multi-stage sampling study design.
• The study was conducted from 27^th of June 2020 to 10^th July 2020.
• For all the 11 districts of Delhi, survey teams were formed.
• Blood samples were collected from selected individuals after taking written informed consent and then their sera were tested for IgG antibodies and infection using COVID KAVACH ELISA.
• It is one of the largest sero-prevalence studies conducted in the country using the ELISA testing.
• 21,387 samples were collected as per lab standards and were tested.
• The tests help in identifying the of presence of antibodies in the general population.
• These tests performed are not diagnostic tests but only provides information about past infection due to SARS-CoV-2 in individuals who test positive.
• Antibody testing repeatedly done over time i.e. sero-surveillance, generates important evidence for assessing the spread of the pandemic from time to time.

What do the results show?

• The results of the sero-prevalence study show that on an average, across Delhi, the prevalence of IgG antibodies is 23.48 %.
• The study also indicates that a large number of infected persons remain asymptomatic.

What is sero-prevalence?

• Sero-prevalence is the number of persons in a population who test positive for a specific disease based on serology (blood serum) specimens.
• It is often presented as a percent of the total specimens tested or as a proportion per 100,000 persons tested.
• As positively identifying the occurrence of the disease is usually based upon the presence of antibodies for that disease (especially with viral infections such as Herpes Simplex, HIV, and SARS-CoV-2), this number is not significant if the specificity of the antibody is low.

About the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC):

• The organisation was established to function as a national centre of excellence for control of communicable diseases.
• It works under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GOI.
• It was formerly known as the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).
• Its origins can be traced back to the Central Malaria Bureau, formed in 1909 in Kasauli. It was renamed as the Malaria Survey of India in 1927.
• In 1938, it shifted to Delhi under the name Malaria Institute of India (MII). In 1963, the MII became the NICD.
• NCDC Functions:
  • Trained health manpower development: carries out various training programmes in the field of communicable diseases.
  • Applied research: in various fields such as bacteriology, virology, mycology, immunology, parasitology, studies of epidemic-prone diseases, transmission dynamics of diseases, studies on pesticides’ biological hazards, etc.
  • Specialised services: diagnostics, storage and supply of diagnostic reagents, entomological services, quality control of insecticides, outbreak investigations, etc.
  • Publications: bringing out regular newsletters and other material disseminating valuable information about any event of public health importance.
• NCDC’s main centre is n Delhi, and it has branches in many other locations in India.

July 21st, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here