'Covid-19 under control', Telangana health officials worried about rising Dengue, Malaria cases

With the Covid-19 “spread largely under control”, the Telangana health department is now cautioning the public about the danger of Dengue, Malaria etc seasonal diseases.

The state has recorded over 1,200 Dengue cases already in this season, with the vector-borne disease spreading fast in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area and a few other districts like Khammam. At the same time, Malaria cases are being reported from several districts.

Dengue, Malaria cases are rising in Telangana even as the Covid-19 cases have declined sharply. Telangana has reported 405 and 417 cases on Monday and Tuesday, when the samples tested were 84,262 and 87,230 respectively. The active cases are 6,939.

According to officials, Hyderabad has been reporting around 70-80 cases only for the past several days.

“Covid-19 has come under control to a large extent and its R factor in our state is 0.7. People should not presume every fever as Covid-19 and should get themselves tested in case of symptoms like fever,” said Dr Srinivasa Rao, director of public health, Telangana on Wednesday.

Rao stated that his department is implementing measures to check the growth of mosquitoes – the carriers of Dengue, Malaria etc infections, in this rainy season. The official added that the government is running diagnostic centres in 20 districts and is setting up fever clinics in major hospitals.

Meanwhile, over 1.65 crore people in Telangana have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine till Tuesday night. 42.2 lakh people have received both doses.

While the daily economic activities have resumed after the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were lifted in mid-June, the K Chandrasekhar Rao government is yet to take a call on reopening the schools for offline classes.