Contingency plans to curb dengue

The Health department on Wednesday confirmed that two people had died in the last five months, till May 28, due to dengue.

After a day-long meeting with the District Health Officers (DHOs), Minister for Health and Family Welfare U T Khader said the State would take utmost precaution in controlling the spread of dengue.

In a statement, the Health department has said that as many as 684 cases of dengue have been recorded in the last five months, placing Karnataka in the fourth position in the country.

However, according to Health department officials, there is a drop in the number of cases in comparison to last year and the situation is not ‘alarming’. The highest number of cases of dengue, this year, has been recorded in Shimoga (87), followed by Bangalore (85) and Mysore (63).

The day-long meeting saw a direction being issued to the DHOs to ensure that all reporting of dengue cases will be through him or her, in the respective district. The Health department said no private hospital will report dengue cases in the media.

“The Health department is trying to control any sort of panic among citizens and has invoked the KPME Act to ensure that the notified officer will report to the Director of Health, who will then announce the number of dengue cases in the State,” said Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, M Madan Gopal.

The department will set up Fever Treatment Depots (FTDs) in places across the State which show an alarming rise in the number of dengue cases.

“At present, the cases are not at an alarming level and it does not require setting up of FTDs,” said Gopal.

The department has suggested that a meeting of officials, the local corporator and citizens in each ward, in cities, be held every first Saturday to record any increase in dengue cases. Every third Saturday, the local MLA will hold a meeting with the Health department and citizens of his constituency to keep tabs on the fever.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will set up a Rapid Action Task Force to deal with the disease. It is felt that the garbage menace in the City needs to be tackled to stop the larvae of the mosquitoes that spread the disease from breeding.

The department has said that it will invoke the penal clauses, as per the provisions of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act, against contractors who do not take precautionary steps while storing water in construction sites, where the larvae usually breed.