Taking cognizance of the news reports on Dengue spread in the national Capital, Principal Secretary Health Om Prakash on Saturday directed the DG health to ensure availability of platelets in blood banks and issued instruction to the private hospitals to admit dengue patients and alert the directorate on dengue cases.
He also ordered the officials to disseminate dos and don'ts to the people to control dengue spread. For this, he told the officials to install hoardings telling the measures to prevent dengue at public places and all railway stations so that people, especially pilgrims, to take precautions for themselves against the vector-borne disease.
Om Prakash also asked the DG health to collect the information about the availability of platelets in State blood banks. He also decided to hold a video conferencing the Chief Medical Officers of four districts of Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udhamsinghnagar to take stoke of the preparation to tackle dengue spread.
Meanwhile, the DG health cancelled leave of all the medical staff to fight dengue collectively till the dengue spread subsides.
Besides, the Health Department has been directed to issue an advisory to all the schools to take precautions against dengue.
Dengue has assumed epidemic proportions in national Capital and adjoining areas and recent spurt in the number of dengue cases in Dehradun district indicates that this year the number of cases could be highest in the State.
Medical experts have advised people, especially children, to wear full sleeves shirts and long pants after 3 pm because this time dengue mosquitoes get active. They also appealed the people to clear any stagnant water in air cooler units, unused tyres or empty jar. This stagnant water provides ideal breeding ground for the aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry the dengue-causing virus.
The Medical experts also said that having proper drainage and sanitation facilities to prevent stagnation of water and regular fumigation will control the mosquito menace.