The Hindu 10.11.2017
Civic body puts in place new strategy to combat dengue
Collector K. Rajamani inspecting a building at Kallukuzhi in Tiruchi
on Thursday. Tiruchi Corporation Commissioner N. Ravichandran is also
seen.HANDOUT
Officials are now identifying and focussing on “hotspots” of fever cases
Consequent to the recent outbreak of dengue, the district administration has come out with a new strategy to combat dengue.
Under
the initiative,entomologists, medical teams, health inspectors,
sanitary workers, revenue and local body officials are now identifying
and focussing on “hotspots” of dengue fever cases to treat patients and
launch source reduction activities at micro-level.
Instructions
have been sent to Primary Health Centres, upgraded PHCs, urban Primary
Health Centres, taluk and district headquarters hospitals and 40 private
hospitals in Tiruchi district to send daily report on fever cases.
The Health Inspectors of concerned areas will study the reports everyday in the morning to identify the hotspots.
According
to sources, the areas, villages or wards where more than 10 fever cases
have been reported will be treated as hotspots. Areas with more than
three dengue positive cases or fever related deaths will also be
considered as hotspots. Upon arriving at the list of hotspots, it will
be sent to all officials right from the district Collector to rural,
municipality, town panchayat and rural development for carrying out
intensive anti-mosquito drives.
“The new strategy, which has been
circulated to all concerned officials, seems to be working well to
contain fever cases and controlling breeding of dengue causing mosquito.
We cannot be complacent and the effectiveness of the strategy is being
monitored closely,” says Collector K. Rajamani, who visits these
hotspots every morning.
Deputy Director of Health Services I.
Ravindran, said that the number of hotspots in the district had come
down to eight from eighteen due to enhanced attention. The number of
fever cases being admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government
Hospital in Tiruchi has also come down to about 350 from 600 a day.
“We
continue to receive dengue positive cases from Uppilliyapuram and
Mannachanallur blocks. However, there has been considerable improvement
in dengue control measures over the past week. We will employ more
manpower in the hotspots,” Mr. Ravindran added.
Meanwhile,
Collector Rajamani, who visited various areas including Kallukuzhi,
Ulaganathapuram, Ramakrishna Nagar, Anna Nagar and others in 43rd ward
of Tiruchi Corporation along with Commissioner N. Ravichandran on
Thursday, detected Aedes Aegypti larvae on a under construction building
of the Public Works Department at Kallukuzhi.
A penalty of Rs. 50,000 was imposed on the contractor for failing to take measures to prevent mosquito breeding.
Mr.
Ravichandran also issued orders to suspend water supply to four houses
on the same charges at Anna Nagar and M. N. K. Colony.
We cannot be complacent and the effectiveness of the strategy is being monitored closely
K. Rajamani
Tiruchi Collector