In the aftermath of four suspected dengue deaths in Mysore district, Deputy Commissioner C. Shikha has set a five-day deadline for officials, including tahsildars, executive officers of urban local bodies (ULBs), and gram panchayat authorities, to take up anti-dengue operations on a war-footing.
Total cleanliness of villages and towns, especially cleaning up of clogged drains and fogging, will be top priority for the authorities over the next five days.
Speaking to The Hindu after visiting D. Salundi, which reported the suspected dengue deaths, and supervising measures taken by the Health Department to contain the spread of the disease, Ms. Shikha said clogged drains, stagnant sewage and water stored in containers served as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which spread dengue.
Therefore, officials had been told to take immediate steps to clear clogged drains and stagnant sewage and take up awareness drives to educate people on the dos and don’ts to keep dengue at bay.
Funds are available under the Village Health and Sanitation programme and clogged drains could be cleared using those funds. Up to Rs. 10,000 could be used from the programme, she said.
“I have told the officers to distribute mosquito nets. Even the gram panchayats can contribute funds for ensuring cleanliness in villages,” Ms. Shikha said.
The Deputy Commissioner said she had convened a meeting of officials from ULBs , taluk panchayats and gram panchayats in the wake of suspected dengue outbreak
The Deputy Commissioner said the blood samples of suspected dengue cases reported from D. Salundi village had been collected and sent for tests to confirm the dengue fever virus.
The question is why the Health Department did not take steps soon after the first death of a two-year-old girl due to a suspected case of dengue. The first suspected dengue death was reported on May 13. Three more children from the village died after that
Sources in the Health Department said water scarcity had forced villagers to store water and this was one of the reasons for the breeding of dengue-causing mosquitoes.
