The civil surgeon Palamu Dr Anil Kumar at his press briefing today conceded that despite several directives of the additional chief secretary health department Arun Kumar Singh for the start of component separation here in the blood bank, things remain in its old status of non-starting.
He said the ACS health has always asked the district and health administration here to start component separation here but in vain.
The blood bank has neither space for this component separation facility to begin with right now nor any serious initiative is on the anvil.
The civil surgeon made this reference in the context of one 16 year old boy Madan Vishwakarma of Kankari village under the Chainpur community health centre testing dengue positive.
The civil surgeon said "I made this reference to the directive of the ACS health for the start of the component separation here as in dengue, platelets transfusion is required if the count of the platelets is less than 50,000 and decreasing and here despite the ACS prodding there is no facility for component separation as a result the question of platelet transfusion does not arise here."
"Imagine for platelets transfusion a patient is bound to go to a higher centre in Ranchi. Is this any ordinary thing?" he said.
Sources said the ACS health Arun Kr Singh was asking for component separation here for times like this but red tapism has taken a toll on this facility here.
"Our outbreak response to the incident of 1 case of dengue at Kankari village has been completed with fogging of the village, blood samples test of more than half a dozen people there who were all found negative and big of all a vigorous awareness campaign for the prevention of dengue there" said the civil surgeon.
Joining the civil surgeon the DRCHO Dr Binod Kumar said "Dengue is 3 D. First D is that it is day bite by nature. The second D is decorative. Dengue flies sprout in freshwater and big people have bowls of fresh water with money plants in it on their table and thus offer dengue flies to flourish. The third D is that dengue flies are too daring. It dies hard."
Dr Anil Kumar said "Although there is no reason to panic, nevertheless we have set up a 20 bed ward for the dengue patient."
On Eliza test for dengue he said "We conduct this test for blood samples reaching us from Garhwa district as well. It's a confirmatory test for dengue."
District Epidemiologist Dr Anup Kr Singh said there is no issue of kits for the Eliza test here as it is available in sufficient numbers.
Reminded that private pathology labs are issuing test report for dengue in a wholesale fashion to which the civil surgeon said "My sincere appeal to all the private pathology labs is to send us samples of blood for confirmatory test for dengue through Eliza test that we do at the MMCH Daltonganj. Their cooperation is solicited."
The civil surgeon then shared the dos and don'ts in regard to the dengue affliction. The DRCHO Dr Binod Kumar and the civil surgeon both strictly advised people having dengue not to use aspirin and any pain killer at all. The two asked for maintenance of fluid in the body and prevention of dehydration by all means. The two said "Rest as much as you can as otherwise you may risk others if the mosquito that made you sick of dengue bites another."