Even as the Corporation of Madurai is busy receiving nominations and overseeing local body poll preparations, the city residents are in the grip of dengue fear.
According to sources at Government Rajaji Hospital, many patients complained of fever and were screened. They tested “positive” for dengue. Wishing anonymity, a doctor said, “Out of every 100 patients with fever, at least five tested positive for dengue. On an average, the hospital received a little over 15,000 outpatients in the recent weeks alone. There are good facilities in the hospital. As and when the platelet count of the patients improved, they were discharged.”
Many other patients who went to private nursing homes and hospitals for fever were also tested positive for dengue. A young journalist in the city who had a bad throat and mild fever in the evenings over the last four days tested positive for dengue.
A doctor in the general medicine department of a corporate hospital said a two-year-old boy was undergoing treatment for dengue for the last three days. He would be discharged by Monday, the doctor added.
Though doctors admitted privately to detection of dengue cases, officials remained tight-lipped about dengue and they called it a “mysterious fever” or “dengue-like” fever.
As and when dengue cases were reported, health department officials swung into action in the particular areas and carried out clean-up activities, which included clearing of stagnant water, removal of unused items such as old tyres, cycle tubes, old plastic bottles and ensuring cleanliness inside houses. Fogging was also done twice a day.
A sanitary inspector said Tahsildar Nagar, Arapalayam, Ponmeni, Alagappan Nagar, Sellur 60 Feet Road, Katrapalayam, Munichalai and a few peripheries such as Alanganallur, Samanatham and Chintamani had cases of dengue.
Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri appealed to the residents to keep their surroundings clean. The Corporation lifted over 500 tonnes of waste from all the 100 wards every day and checks were conducted in different areas round the clock.
A health official said the public could lodge complaints at 0452-2525252, and contact the sanitary inspector’s office of the respective ward if garbage was not lifted in any part of the city.
