There is no dearth of medicines or funds to tackle dengue, Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader said on Wednesday, and added that the need of the hour was to create awareness about eliminating mosquito breeding places.
For this, the department along with local bodies, non-governmental organisations and students will undertake a massive campaign across the State in the coming weeks, Mr. Khader told journalists here after a meeting of district health officers and other officials from all districts. The aim was to educate people against letting water stagnate, he said.
District health officers (DHOs) had been warned that they would be held responsible for any lapse in preventing the spread of the disease, Mr. Khader said. If necessary, fever treatment depots would be opened in severely affected areas, he added.
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Principal Secretary of the department M. Madan Gopal said while the spread of the fever cannot be prevented completely, death due to the fever could definitely be prevented by taking precautionary measures.
State Drugs Controller B.R. Jagashetty said 930 units of platelets were available in 86 blood banks across the State. Platelets have a very short shelf life of four days, he added.
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Mr. Madan Gopal said the department’s helpline, 104, was likely to be opened in the first week of June. The setup, comprising about 100 workstations, was ready in Hubli IT Park and the capacity was planned to be expanded to 300 soon.
The toll-free helpline would provide health advice as well as grievance redressal, he said.