Over 7,000 dengue cases reported in Karnataka, CM Siddaramaiah instructs officials to take precautionary measures

Amid a surge in dengue cases in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said he has instructed officials to take all necessary precautionary measures to prevent spread of the vector borne disease and urged the people to give utmost priority to cleanliness in their neighbourhoods.

In a Facebook post on his official page, he said more than 7,000 dengue cases have been reported across the state in the last few days, out of which more than 4,000 cases were from Bengaluru city alone.

"Spoke to concerned department officials about the rapid spread of dengue, instructed them to take all necessary precautionary measures. In Bengaluru city limits, effective measures are being followed for mosquito control including spraying of medicines, identifying places where water is stored and cleaning them," Siddaramaiah said.

"I request the public to give priority to cleanliness around the house and be careful about mosquito bites. Don't be afraid of dengue, be aware," the chief minister added.

On Friday, Karnataka Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao launched a disease surveillance dashboard and a mobile application for effective monitoring and curbing of dengue.

The dashboard, a disease forecasting software, has been developed in partnership with the Department of Health, Bengaluru municipal corporation -- Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) -- and the AI and Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK ) -- at the Indian Institute of Science to assist policymakers and public health officials in preparing for outbreaks and managing disease control activities.

According to officials, the dashboard based on the Artificial Intelligence model can predict surge in infections four weeks in advance. It provides a map of outbreaks across Karnataka at the district and sub-district levels along with case trends across years.

A 4-week predictive risk map of outbreaks will also be made available to state and district officers. In addition to predictions, data from multiple sources is being standardised and streamlined for improved analysis.

Both the dashboard and mobile app are focused on dengue, to begin with, and the aim is to expand to additional diseases in the future, the officials had said.

The officials said the dashboard can be accessed only by the healthcare workers and health officials as of now and soon it will be made available for the public to view the latest data related to dengue cases in their specific jurisdictions.

The mobile app is also a linked application to the dashboard but it functions independently. As of now, the mobile app is piloted in BBMP jurisdiction. ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers, medical officers, healthcare workers and spraymen will be using the application.