Dengue, chikungunya gave a scare

Owing to the increase in dengue cases, the Health department authorised two more labs - NCDC and Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health - along with Nimhans and the NIV field lab, to test blood samples.

The two labs were in addition to the 14 new sentinel labs being set up across the State. An expert committee was also constituted to formulate guidelines for private hospitals on reporting deaths due to epidemic.

However, conjunctivitis visited the City this year. Ophthalmologists could not explain the trend but only said the number of infected people was higher than they had seen in the past.

The BBMP launched a screening camp for diabetes and hypertension in the slums. Funded by the Union Ministry of Health, the camps are being held at 327 slums and provide an estimate of the burden of non-communicable diseases to formulate the National Urban Health Mission, similar to the National Rural Health Mission.

Shortage of HIV/AIDS testing kits was another issue that cropped up in the later half of the year. The expected supply of kits by December end is yet top materialise.

The news of superbug NDM (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase), originating from India, created uproar in medical and political circles. The research paper on antibiotic resistant viruses that appeared in Lancet journal, a few months ago, was seen as an envious attack on India's image as an emerging medical tourism destination.

The year concluded with the Fourth World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo that saw nearly 400 stalls showcasing various Ayurvedic products and creating awareness on Indian Systems of Medicine.