An International Verification Team (IVT), which visited India from 5-16 October 2015 found that the country is free of Yaws clinical cases and that Yaws transmission has ceased in the country. The IVT will request the World Health Organization (WHO) to consider issuing a Certificate of Eradication of Yaws from India.
The IVT was in the country at the request of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, to verify and assess the yaws free status of India. The mission was facilitated and supported by WHO.
On 16 October 2015, the members of the International Verification Team (IVT) for assessment Yaws free status in India met to finalize the report of their observations and recommendations in relation to the Yaws free status of India. The team members studied the country report of the Yaws Eradication programme (YEP) of India and reports of various appraisals of the YEP conducted by the MoHFW.
Present at the de-briefing meeting were Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General Health Services (DGHS), MoHFW; Mr Anshu Prakash, Joint Secretary, MoHFW; Dr Ronald Ballard, Team Leader, International Verification Team and Dr Asidieu Kingsley, WHO HQ; Dr Sunil Gupta, Acting Director, National Centre for Disease Control, MoHFW; Dr Shiv Lal, Former Special Director General, DGHS and Dr Arun Thapa, Acting WHO Representative to India among other national and international experts, international verification team members and senior officials of MoHFW and WHO.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Arun Thapa, Acting WHO Representative to India said, “Achievements like these are reflective of Government of India’s abilities. WHO will continue to support the government for eliminating other communicable diseases like leprosy, Kala-azar, lymphatic filariasis, and measles and rubella.”
Led by an independent team of international experts, the verification team comprised international and national experts drawn from various domains and streams with expertise in management of the Yaws disease.
The team visited the identified districts in five states: Dang (Gujarat); Khammam (Andhra Pradesh); Gadhchiroli (Maharashtra); Kallakuruchi (Tamil Nadu), and Koraput (Odisha). The purpose of field visits was to review records/reports, assess the surveillance system and verify the NIL status of Yaws.
The teams covered five districts, more than 50 health facilities and villages and interviewed the concerned officials and staff responsible for YEP at the state, district, block, primary health centres, sub-centre and village levels. It also visited medical colleges, NGO’s and other stakeholder’s.
In 2006, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare declared yaws elimination three years after last case was detected in 2003.Since then it has sustained post-zero case surveillance. In addition, serosurveys were conducted annually for three consecutive years (2009–2011). No sample was found positive, collectively indicating cessation of yaws transmission in the community.