Indian plague epidemic: unanswered questions and key lessons

Abstract

This paper briefly recapitulates the events during the recent plague epidemic in India with specific focus on suspected pneumonic plague cases in Surat City. The paper discusses three key questions which are as yet unanswered. These questions are: (a) The exact nature of the disease, specifically whether it was plague or some other diseases; (b) Origin of the suspected plague cases: and (c) The mode of transmission of the disease in the community. The paper discusses available evidence from secondary sources and some primary investigations done by the expert committee appointed by the State Government of Gujarat. This paper discusses the key lessons learnt from this suspected plague epidemic. The lessons learnt are in the areas of investigating epidemic of unusual disease, managing public fear during epidemic and management of cases of highly infectious diseases. The paper briefly comments upon the deteriorating public health situation in India and includes that developing countries must pay greater attention to public health in order to become globally competitive.