What is ICMR Syndromic Surveillance?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed a priority pathogen list for syndromic surveillance in India. The list was released by the Division of Communicable Diseases on 17 November 2025 and is linked to infectious disease monitoring, diagnostic standardisation, and outbreak detection.

Syndromic Surveillance

Syndromic surveillance is a public health method that tracks symptom patterns such as fever, respiratory illness, diarrhoea, and encephalitis before laboratory confirmation. It is used in epidemic-prone settings to identify unusual clusters of illness and to support early public health action.

Priority Pathogen List

The ICMR list was prepared through 44 expert consultations with clinicians, laboratory specialists, and epidemiologists. It classifies pathogens for acute febrile illness, encephalitis, respiratory infections, and diarrhoeal diseases. The pathogens are grouped into four tiers based on prevalence, outbreak potential, national elimination goals, and diagnostic availability. Such tiering is used to guide patient care, laboratory testing, and public health planning.

Integrated Health Information Platform

The Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) is a digital surveillance system under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It was rolled out across all states by 14 April 2021. IHIP collects near real-time health data from public and private health facilities in India. It supports surveillance for more than 30 diseases and integrates data from hospitals, laboratories, and research centres. The platform replaced traditional paper-based reporting in many surveillance functions. It is used for monitoring epidemic-prone illnesses and for detecting outbreaks across the country.

Multiplex Testing and Antimicrobial Resistance

On 20 January 2026, ICMR announced plans for a single multiplex test to screen for multiple high-priority pathogens at the same time. Multiplex testing is a laboratory method that detects more than one pathogen from one sample. Standardised pathogen screening is linked to faster diagnosis and reduced antibiotic misuse. Missed infections and varied institution-specific diagnostic practices are associated with gaps in surveillance and antimicrobial resistance.

Important Facts for Exams

• ICMR stands for the Indian Council of Medical Research, which functions under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• IDSP stands for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, which is India’s national disease surveillance programme.
• IHIP is a digital platform that supports near real-time reporting from health facilities across India.
• Multiplex tests can detect multiple pathogens from a single clinical sample.

Syndromic surveillance uses symptom-based monitoring before laboratory confirmation. IHIP was scaled up nationwide by April 2021 and supports surveillance for more than 30 diseases.