In a bid to effectively tackle the spread of dengue fever in the State, the Health Department on Friday directed taluk health officers to report dengue cases and ensure that patients get access to proper treatment.
Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader told presspersons here that steps would be taken to ensure that none of the dengue patients failed to receive medical treatment for want of money. Blood component separation procedures were being offered free to such patients at 86 centres in the State, including 42 in Bangalore, he said.
The Minister said that committees headed by taluk-level health officers would be formed to handle the situation. It would be mandatory for these officers to visit each one of the dengue patients in their jurisdiction even if they are admitted in private hospitals. They have to find out the effectiveness of the treatment and take action for further treatment.
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It is also mandatory for them to report each one of the dengue case to the district health officers who, in turn, will report to the director of family welfare, he said. Private hospitals were also required to report dengue cases to the taluk health officers. Mr. Khader said that 1,493 confirmed dengue fever cases had been reported till June 20 this year, including six deaths due to dengue haemorrhagic fever in Mysore district, against the 3,924 reported in 2012.
According to him, 75 per cent of these cases were reported from 13 districts, including Mysore and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike region.
Mysore district topped the list with 224 cases followed by the BBMP region (163 cases), Shimoga (113), Haveri (105), Bellary (94), Udupi (90), Davangere (82), Mandya (71), Ramanagaram (5), Belgaum (48), Chikmagalur (45), Tumkur (43) and Raichur (32).
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He said that the Health Department was trying to create public awareness about the preventive measures with respect to dengue fever, its symptoms and the treatment required.
Panchayat-level teams too had been formed to go on house-to-house visits for conducting a survey as well as eliminate breeding source of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes which carry the dengue-causing virus. Steps were being taken to create awareness on dengue among construction workers, he said.
Fogging
The Minister said that the fogging system, which is normally tried out to eliminate mosquito breeding in open spaces, would not help check the breeding of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes as they breed indoor.
Besides, fogging would adversely impact those allergic to asthma, he pointed out.