The novel disease COVID-19 which has affected more than 200 countries globally including India, has been declared as pandemic by World Health Organization. The Government of India (GOI) has taken timely measures to contain the human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 in the Country through implementation of lockdown to restrict the travel with relaxation for availing essential commodities and medical services. Domestic and International transport facilities have been stopped. The expansion of this pandemic has adversely affected health seeking behavior of community for other health conditions and the service delivery of essential health services including immunization. Routine immunization targets to immunize around 157 million beneficiaries each year against twelve vaccine preventable diseases. However, due to lockdown and further strategy of containment of COVID-19, the service delivery under Universal Immunization Program (UIP) is badly affected. In order to avert the implication of delayed immunization on future of the India's immunization program, this gap need to be addressed by taking timely measures for immunization of due beneficiaries. The present article is an attempt to explain existing immunization practices in India, enumerate possible challenges in delivering immunization services due to COVID-19 and enlist suggestive strategies to overcome those challenges.

Background and objectiveThe study is based on hypothesis that whether continuous entomological surveillance of Ae. aegypti and simultaneous appropriate interventions in key containers during non-transmission (December–May) months would have any impact on breeding of Aedes and dengue cases during the following transmission months (June–November). The impact of the surveillance and intervention measures undertaken during non-transmission months were assessed by entomological indicators namely container index (CI), house index (HI), pupal index (PI) and breteau index (BI).MethodsA total of 28 localities of West Zone of Delhi with persistent dengue endemicity were selected for the study. Out of these localities, 20 were included in study group while other 8 localities were in control group. IEC and various Aedes breeding control activities were carried out in study group in both non-transmission and transmission season whereas control group did not have any such interventions during non-transmission months as per guidelines of MCD. These activities were undertaken by a team of investigators from NIMR and SDMC, Delhi. In control group, investigators from NIMR carried out surveillance activity to monitor the breeding of Aedes mosquito in localities.ResultsComparison of baseline data revealed that all indices in control and study group of localities were comparable and statistically non-significant (p>0.05). In both study and control groups, indices were calculated after pooling data on seasonal basis, i.e., transmission and non-transmission months for both years. The test of significance conducted on all the four indices, i.e., HI, PI, CI, and BI, revealed a significant difference (p<0.05) between the study group and control group during transmission and non-transmission months except in HI. Due to consistent intervention measures undertaken in non-transmission months in study group, reduction in CI, HI, BI and PI was observed 63%, 62%, 64% and 99% respectively during transmission months as compared to control group where increase of 59%, 102%, 73% and 71% respectively. As a result of reduction in larval indices, no dengue case (except one NS1) was observed in study group, whereas 38 dengue cases were observed in control group.ConclusionThrough this pilot study, it is concluded that proper intervention in non-transmission season reduces vector density and subsequently dengue cases in transmission season.

COVID-19 pneumonia is a recently identified lung infection, the hazardous factor of this pneumonia is pandemic dissemination of infection by corona virus. Due to its high mortality and morbidity it has become a threat to the human life. As pneumonia is the commonest manifestation chest x-ray becomes the primary modality of investigation however many symptomatic patients do not have a positive chest X-ray findings hence, HRCT is used as primary modality for both screening as well as a diagnosing COVID-19 pneumonia. It has been observed that in many situations RT-PCR test are negative or inconclusive but the HRCT in such cases is useful and conclusive. Aim of the article is to highlight the role of HRCT in diagnosing COVID-19 pneumonia and providing proper guidance to the Clinicians for assessing the response and therapeutic purpose for covid19 pneumonia. recently, HRCT score have also been used to provide the clinicians an idea about the Prognosis of this disease progress.