Dengue fever cases have risen at an alarming rate in Kalaburagi district in the last 20 days and the district administration, the Health and Family Welfare Department and the Mahanagara Palike officials have stepped up preventive measures in the light of the outbreak.
Of the 1,927 suspected cases of dengue in the district, 474 have been confirmed and of these, 368 cases are from Kalaburagi taluk. Only 43 cases were reported in the district till the end of June and 191 cases were reported between August 1 and August 10, while 240 new cases have been registered, taking the total to 474.
Deputy Commissioner R. Venkatesh on Tuesday visited the District General Hospital and spoke to the patients. He also visited residential localities at Hanuman Nagar Tanda to inspect anti-larval measures. While interacting with residents of the tanda, the Commissioner advised them not to allow water stagnation around their homes as water stored in uncovered containers and unused household articles was an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Speaking to presspersons, Mr.Venkatesh said that personnel from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, including the District Surveillance Unit, and ASHA workers are visiting households to survey the existence of larva and educate the public to prevent mosquito breeding. He said that volunteers, including nursing students from different colleges, were deployed in areas where dengue cases have been reported, for spraying termifos chemical.
Adding that tests conducted in private hospitals are not officially confirmed as dengue, Mr. Venkatesh said that the Elisa test was a must to diagnose dengue and it is done at the district laboratory at the district hospital or in the Health Department which are fully equipped to conduct confirmatory tests on vector-borne diseases.
To a question, Mr. Venkatesh said that platelet transfusion is not required in all cases. However, the hospital had stocked platelets if a dengue fever patient requires a transfusion. Those diagnosed with fever need not panic but get their blood tested to know platelet count.
