Which disease is not included in the national vector-borne disease control program?

NORCET 2 - 2021 (shift-1)

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: NORCET 2 - 2021 (shift-1)

Explanation

Plague is a bacterial disease transmitted by fleas from rodents, and its epidemiology and control methods differ significantly from the diseases covered by the NVBDCP.
The National Vector-Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) is an umbrella program for the prevention and control of six specific diseases: Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, Japanese Encephalitis, Lymphatic Filariasis, and Kala-azar.
Surveillance and management of Plague in India are handled by other public health initiatives, primarily the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).

Option B: Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by the Aedes mosquito and is one of the primary diseases targeted for control under the NVBDCP.
Option C: Chikungunya, like Dengue, is a viral disease transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. It is also a key focus of the integrated vector management strategies of the NVBDCP.
Option D: Malaria control is a foundational component of the NVBDCP. The program originally started as the National Malaria Control Programme before being expanded to include other vector-borne diseases.

Visual 1: Infographic: A chart displaying the six diseases covered under the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP), each with an icon representing its vector (e.g., mosquito, sandfly).
Visual 2: Flowchart: Decision tree for a community health nurse identifying a suspected vector-borne disease, showing how to differentiate between symptoms and report to the correct surveillance program (NVBDCP vs. IDSP).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Scope of National Vector-Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Community health nurses are at the forefront of implementing NVBDCP strategies. This includes health education on vector control, early identification of cases, ensuring complete treatment, and monitoring of the local disease trends.
Understanding the scope of NVBDCP helps nurses to focus their public health messaging and surveillance activities on the correct set of diseases prevalent in their service area.
Nurses play a vital role in promoting community participation for source reduction (e.g., eliminating mosquito breeding sites), which is a cornerstone of preventing Dengue and Chikungunya.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the keywords in the question: "not included" and "national vector-borne disease control program". This indicates you need to find the exception from a specific list.
Recall the six diseases that are part of the NVBDCP: Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya, Japanese Encephalitis, Lymphatic Filariasis, and Kala-azar.
Systematically check each option against this list.
Option A, Plague, is not on the list of six diseases.
Options B (Dengue), C (Chikungunya), and D (Malaria) are all on the list.
Therefore, Plague is the correct answer as it is the one not included in the program.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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