As dengue cases rise, Ramadoss says don't panic

With fresh cases of dengue reported from Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir and the disease afflicting scores in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has scheduled a meeting of affected states on Thursday but said there was no need for panic.

One death was reported from Haryana, taking the toll in the affected states to 15. Delhi, where over 500 dengue cases have been reported, has also registered the maximum number of deaths at 11.

"I am meeting health ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan on Thursday. We will discuss steps for preventing its spread," Ramadoss told reporters on Tuesday. "There is no need for panic. It is not an epidemic. Things are under control. There is a need for awareness."

Thirty-three confirmed cases were reported from Haryana while two persons suffering from dengue were hospitalised in Jammu and Kashmir, where the state government sounded an alert.

At least two deaths have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, while 20 suspected dengue patients were admitted to hospitals at Ludhiana in Punjab since Monday, taking the total number of patients there to 88.

The government of Rajasthan, where seven people have died of dengue, said all state-run hospitals would provide free pathological tests for persons suspected to be suffering from the disease.

Though over 500 dengue cases have been reported in Delhi and 11 people have died, the government said there was no need to declare it an epidemic as of now.

Ramadoss, however, termed the situation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where a final year student died of dengue last week, as 'unfortunate'.

Seven cases of dengue were referred to AIIMS on Tuesday, taking the total number of people being treated for the disease at the institute to 46, as authorities described the outbreak this year as 'grave'.

"The situation is grave this year as compared to the previous year," AIIMS medical superintendent D K Sharma told PTI.

Scared due to the outbreak, people with minor headaches and fever were queueing up at AIIMS for tests, he said.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit decided to intensify the anti-dengue drive, and issued instructions to schools and every minister to ensure the disease does not spread in their respective areas.

"There is no need to panic and we are not declaring it an epidemic yet," Health Minister Yoganand Shastri told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting also decided students of all schools in Delhi will have to wear full-sleeve shirts.

The MCD said it was considering a ban on water coolers, which are major breeding grounds for the aedes mosquito that carries dengue. 

Meanwhile, health officials in Mumbai said the situation with regard to dengue and malaria was 'under control' and there is 'no reason to panic'.

Maharashtra Health Minister Vimla Mundada said dengue cases in Mumbai are sporadic and only four deaths were reported between April and September. "Therefore there is no need to panic," she said.

External Link: Dengue: Prevention and precautions