TIRUNELVELI
Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar on Sunday accused DMK leader M.K. Stalin of politicising the prevalence of dengue in Tamil Nadu. Mr. Stalin had alleged that the government was trying to fudge the number of fever cases and that the Minister was not bothered about people affected with dengue.
Talking to reporters in Tirunelveli, Mr. Vijayabaskar said Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had conducted two review meetings and given proper instructions to prevent contagious diseases even before the onset of monsoon. “All the departments concerned have been taking concerted efforts. When compared to last year, the number of dengue cases has come down to one-third,” he said.
Dr. Vijayabaskar said anyone could inspect the facilities for treating fever cases in any of the medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals. “We have been telling the people only to get admitted to government hospitals without delay,” he added.
He said over 10,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and 12,000 people in Singapore had been affected by dengue due to change in weather condition. “Spread of fever cannot be prevented... With the efforts of 1.63 lakh workers we have brought the fever cases under control,” he said.
210 dengue cases
Out of the 185 fever-affected persons admitted to Tirunelveli hospital, only two had been affected with dengue. In Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital, Chennai, out of the 140 patients with fever, only 14 had been infected with dengue, he added. A total of 210 patients with dengue had been admitted to various hospitals in the State, he said.
“Since those with fever are being admitted to hospitals for a minimum of five days, it is natural that the number of patients in the hospitals is more,” he said.
Pointing out that Mr. Stalin was talking about “mysterious fever”, Dr. Vijayabaskar stated that there were no such fever cases in Tamil Nadu.
