Two children from Tiruvallur treated for dengue, discharged

All 32 district collectors across the State are conducting fever surveillances, reviews every week

G. Dilip Kumar (6) and S. Priyadarshini (8) from Kaverirajapuram in Tiruvallur district, who had dengue, were discharged after treatment from the Institute of Child Health, Egmore, on Monday. Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar and Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, along with Director of Medical Education R. Vimala and other health officials, visited them at the hospital.

The Minister said: “The children, who were admitted on August 18 and 19, had been put on ventilator and treated at the IMCU. “The children recovered. We want to stress that not all fevers are dengue and that even if it is dengue, there is no need for people to panic. All the necessary facilities to treat the illness are readily available,” he said. Since August 1, a total of 63 cases of fever had been recorded at the hospital, of which 49 patients have been discharged and 14 are remaining, said ICH director D. Saminathan.

Since January, the State has seen just over 1,200 dengue cases and five deaths, fewer than the number this time last year and far fewer than in 2012, said Mr. Radhakrishnan. On measures being taken to tackle the fever cases in Tiruvallur district, Mr. Radhakrishnan said that all entry points were being monitored and health camps were conducted at places where migrant workers stayed.

“Our focus is on cause management. All 32 district collectors across the State are conducting fever surveillances and reviews every week. District hospitals have been told that if they see more than three dengue or 10 routine fever cases from the same area, they have to check the locality for breeding sources,” he said.

The Minister said that hospitals had been asked to admit all patients coming in with fever for treatment, and that was the reason the number of in-patients seemed high. He said that teams consisting of district administration officials, directorate of medical services officials and the police were on the lookout for quacks across the State. He said action was taken against six pharmacies in the district for selling drugs without prescriptions.

He also said 20 doctors from city medical colleges were providing additional support to hospitals in Tiruvallur district.

He said testing at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy, had shown that this was not a new strain of the virus.