The Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare will organise simulation exercises in different districts from August 18 to strengthen the officials’ response to health emergencies, said Commissioner K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu.

In a statement on Saturday, Mr. Chakradhar Babu explained that during these exercises, officials would be instructed to assume that a certain health emergency has occurred, and their response to the situation, including time taken to identify the disease, public communication, and measures to prevent the spread, among others, would be assessed.

Stating that it is different from a mock drill, Mr. Chakradhar Babu said the performance of the entire system would be assessed, unlike a mock drill exercise that focusses on whether staff can correctly carry out a specific emergency response procedure.

He said that the objective is to identify loopholes in emergency management and strengthen the response system.

He said the first such exercise would be held in Machilipatnam, Krishna district, on August 18 and 19. The health staff’s response to leptospirosis would be assessed.

On August 20 and 21, an exercise on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also called bird flu, would be held in Bhimavaram of West Godavari district. In the next phase, such exercises will be held on dengue in Visakhapatnam, scrub typhus in Vizianagaram and cholera in Guntur districts.

Representatives from the State Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) unit, District Medical and Health Officers, district surveillance units, and the Animal Husbandry Department, along with officials from the Food Safety, Agriculture, Forest, Municipal Administration, Panchayat Raj, and other departments, will participate in the exercises.

Published - August 15, 2026 07:30 pm IST