Students of Public Health of University of Hyderabad have been drafted by the Government of Telangana to carry out epidemiological fieldwork in various districts across the State as part of its containment strategy against the spread of Covid-19.
About 15 students of the second-semester Master of Public Health (MPH) of the University who have volunteered for the work have been issued orders by district authorities to participate in active and passive surveillance teams. In addition, four research scholars and another 30 students, including current MPH seniors and alumni, have submitted their credentials to the government and offered to work for the humanitarian cause. The Telangana Government has appreciated this spirit of volunteerism and promised to consider them for future placements.
The Vice-Chancellor of University of Hyderabad, Prof. Appa Rao Podile lauded the students’ motivation to serve voluntarily in this hour of crisis and characterised it as part of the University’s social responsibility mandate. He added: “For students of public health of our University, this is indeed a valuable opportunity for gaining hands-on experience in a field in which they are getting trained.”
It may be recalled that the Government of Telangana, through the Office of the Director for Public Health and Family Welfare of the Ministry of Health has undertaken a state-wide surveillance and containment strategy against Covid-19. This is in line with the recommendation of WHO for Global Surveillance strategy for human infection with coronavirus that includes: monitoring trends of the disease where human-to-human transmission occurs, detecting new cases in countries where the virus is not circulating, providing epidemiological information to conduct risk assessment at the national, regional, and global level, and providing epidemiological information to guide preparedness and response measures.
PS: Picture of the MPH students was shot in 2019 during a conference.