New Delhi, Apr 22: Government is considering making severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) a notifiable disease, health officials said today.
"It is being considered but at the moment it is not a notifiable disease," director general health services Dr S P Agarwal told reporters here.
The issue would also be discussed at a meeting of state health secretaries and directors here on Thursday, Agarwal said.
National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) director Shiv Lal said, "as of now only three disease - plague, yellow fever and cholera - are notifiable diseases. Delhi has also made tuberculosis a notifiable disease."
Some diseases fall under the category of "reportable diseases," Lal said.
In case of a notifiable disease, legal action can be taken against patients if they do not cooperate in treatment, leading to public health hazard, he said.
Agarwal said Central government had communicated the infection control measures that needed to be taken to control SARS to the states' health authorities.
Worldwide 3861 SARS cases have been reported with 217 deaths in 25 countries, he added. Bureau Report