Why in news
There are ongoing calls to designate cancer as a "notifiable disease" in India.
The government has resisted, stating that notifiable diseases are typically infectious, and cancer is non-communicable.
However, recent changes, such as making snakebites notifiable, have reignited the debate.
The US has made lead poisoning a notifiable disease, showing non infectious diseases can be added.
What is a notifiable disease ?
It is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities.
Responsibility of notifying any disease and the implementation lies with the state government.
The Centre can recommend diseases for notification.
Eg: AIDS, hepatitis, dengue, etc.
Impacts of Declaring Notifiable Disease:
Improved Surveillance: Ensures accurate tracking of cases and deaths.
Early Outbreak Warning: Helps prevent large-scale epidemics.
Targeted Interventions: Enables better allocation of healthcare resources.
Global Collaboration: Aligns with WHO’s International Health Regulations for global disease monitoring.
Features:
Mandatory Reporting: Doctors and healthcare facilities must report cases.
Legal Implications: Non-compliance can lead to penalties under state laws.
Burden Analysis: Provides comprehensive data on disease prevalence.
Disease Control: Facilitates public health planning and preventive measures.
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