The lack of action on part of municipal corporation in the anti-dengue drive could prove costly to the city. It appears that the Health Department is waging a lone battle against the dreaded dengue virus and is hampered by lack of manpower and resources.
Dengue is threatening to take epidemic proportion as the medical health department detected many cases of the disease from different parts of the city. A worried health department has concentrated all its energies to prevent the outbreak of disease. The department has constituted many teams which are visiting every household in the affected areas. These teams are ordered to destroy all the breeding grounds of the mosquito and are telling people about the prevention they should take. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr BS Jangpangi said that teams of Rashtriya Bal Swasthaya Karyakram (RBSK) have also been pressed into service in the affected areas.
On Friday, the health department teams visited Bhagat Singh Colony, Sahastra Dhara road, Nemi Road and Raipur road areas. Jangpangi accepted that the health department is facing the manpower and resources crunch to deal with the gravity of the situation. He said that the social organizations and other departments should also engage in the anti dengue drive. The CMO appealed the common public to undertake simple precautions like decanting the collected water in the cans, pots and coolers and not allow the mosquito to lay its egg.
The health department officials are privately accepting that they are not getting the desired support from the municipal corporation in anti dengue drive. They point out that the corporation is fully equipped with manpower and machines to deal the situation. When contacted the Senior City Health Officer of Municipal Corporation, Dr RK Singh denied the charges of inaction and said that teams of corporation and working in the areas infected by the dengue. He clarified that the corporation takes action like intensive fogging of the areas on the information provided by the medical health department.