Chennai: While Tamilnadu is yet to witness a proper monsoon, 17 cases of dengue have already been detected in Chennai and the patients have been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. The Department of Health and Family Welfare has taken steps to prevent the spread of the disease by setting up special camps and has ordered government hospitals to give immediate treatment.
Talking to News Today about the measures, Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, additional director, Dr P Vadivelan, said, “We have deployed around 21,000 field workers on the ground all over the State to kill the larvae of Aedes mosquito that causes dengue, zika and chikungunya fevers. Further, the workers mix Temefos, a larvicide that is used to treat the insects-infested water, and ensure unwanted things that can facilitate the breeding of mosquitoes are cleared.
“To kill adult mosquitoes, fogging activity is also carried out and awareness is being created among the residents about dengue. A minimum of 50-60 houses are covered by a single worker every day,” he added.
Further, the additional director stated that the count of dengue cases reported have come down. “Around 20,000 incidences were reported in 2017 and this year, we have received only 2,200 cases as of now and only one death in January has been reported. Given these numbers, it is evident that we are taking enough control measures to keep the fever at bay,” he stated.
Talking about medication and diagnosis, he added: “Almost all government hospitals in the city are equipped with medicines to treat the fever. As far as districts are concerned, all headquarters hospitals are ready to handle any situation.”