Jamshedpur: Following the reports of suspected dengue came from the hospitals and getting them tested positive at the MGM Medical College’s microbiology department, the district health department swung into action.
“We have to once again battle dengue as the Aedes, the mosquito that causes the fever, has started invading the people. We were making people aware as to how to prevent themselves from falling victim to dengue this season. But now we will have to start a full-fledged war against dengue,” said an official from the health department.
He said they have sounded alert to all hospitals, including the private hospitals in the city and primary health centres (PHC) in the rural areas to pay extra attention for the patients turning up with high fever. He said the hospitals and private nursing-homes have also been asked to set up isolation wards for the patients suffering from the disease so that it cannot be spread further.
“We have also decided to start anti-larval spray and also using fogging machines at the localities in the city, specially at the slum areas. A dengue action plan like we had launched last year will be in place soon,” said the official.
A district officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) confirmed about detection of ten positive cases of dengue in the city. “As of now ten cases of dengue have been tested positive in the city hospitals. All these patients hailed from various localities of the city itself,“ he said.
Last year, the dengue had affected all 120 patients in the steel city. The disease had claimed the life of a 26-year-old who died at the MGM Medical College Hospital.
The team distributed dengue/chikungunya awareness pamphlets, conducting house-to-house search for larvae of aedes aegypti during the four-hour long drive.
“We want to take every step to stop the spread. We were keeping a tab on the dengue positive patient and had got information this morning that the 39-year-old homemaker, a resident of Cable Town under Golmuri, was discharged this morning from Tata Main Hospital and is doing well,” said an official .
The health officer said that, as per mandate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) they carried out spraying of larvicides in potential larvae breeding spots in 100 meters radius and also carried out house-to-house search of over 100 flats and single storied houses in the said radius.
Meanwhile, the district health department also reviewed the progress of the drive against dengue today. Most of the abandoned houses in company areas have also been searched and unused containers destroyed along with spraying of larvicides.
“We are yet to see fogging by Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC), Mango Notified Area Committee and Jugsalai municipality. We are writing to special officers of the civic bodies to ensure fogging at the earliest along with spraying of larvicides,“ he noted.