As Punjab is in dengue’s tight grip with two deaths and about 1,000 confirmed cases, The State Government has decided to challan those who fail to keep their surroundings
clean allowing the breeding of aedes — mosquito responsible for spread of dengue.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani on Tuesday, in a communiqué to State local Government Minister Anil Joshi, requested the department to accelerate challaning process of such offenders who were not keeping surrounding clean and allowing breeding of aedes.
Stressing that war against dengue could be tackled by focusing on preventive as well as curative measures, Jayani said that though the health department has created special wards for dengue patients, increasing flow of patients with change in season implies that local Government department would have to speed-up its drive against citizens who were not keeping their surrounding clean.
“local Government Department must involve Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) to launch drive to drain out collected water from all unused coolers, refrigerator trays, flower vases, containers, used tyres, discarded utensils, plastic material and scrap, that were being found inside the houses, which are serving as a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” said Jayani in the communiqué.
Besides, Jayani has also directed all Civil Surgeons to keep a close contact with the local private hospitals especially where dengue patients are undergoing treatment.
Taking stock of the latest situation regarding dengue in the State, the Minister said that all the Government hospitals have been put on high alert for ensuring prevention, control and management of dengue efficiently.
Meanwhile, 135 patients of dengue have been admitted in the Government Hospitals and provided free treatment under the observation of specialists and one death is confirmed cause of dengue by the health department.
Giving details of the steps initiated by the health department, he said that 21 dengue testing labs have been established for dengue testing in the State where dengue testing is done free of cost. Two types of kits — NS1 Antigen and IgM Mac ElISA — are being used by the department, he said.
“Dengue wards have been established in each District, Sub-Divisional, ESI hospitals. Dengue wards have been established in community health centres (CHCs) and medical colleges as well,” he said.
All dengue patients are put under mosquito nets to avoid spread of the infection, he said adding that the supportive treatment in the form of anti-pyretic and intravenous fluids is being given free of cost to dengue patients in all Government hospitals.
Blood Component Separators have been installed at district level hospitals and six Aphesis machines have been installed at Civil Hospitals at Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Mohali for provision of platelets for very severe cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever. The health department is doing focal sprays with larvicides and insecticides in areas from where a case of dengue is reported.
Talking about the IEC (information, education and communication) activities, he said that awareness campaign has been undertaken from State level up to sub centre level in villages for sensitisation of public for prevention of dengue.
“The State has started Dengue Death Review by constituting District level and State level Dengue Death Review Committees of experts to adjudge the exact cause of death in the reported dengue death cases,” he added.