STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra on Friday advised states and municipalities to remain vigilant to contain dengue outbreaks timely.
In a statement issued by the health ministry, Chandra also advised them to identify hotspots, increase vector surveillance and geotag cases for preventive actions. It is important for stakeholders, including the urban development ministry, states, municipal corporations and local self-government bodies, to cooperate and work in tandem to prevent and manage dengue cases in the country, he said in the statement.
Chandra made the remarks while chairing a high-level inter-ministerial meeting (conducted in hybrid mode) to review the dengue situation in nine high-burden states and assess the preparedness of the public health system for the prevention, containment and management of dengue, given the onset of the monsoon season.
The official highlighted the need for preemptive steps and public health measures ahead of the monsoon season when dengue cases typically peak around August, September, October, and November. He emphasised that cases have been increasing over the past four years, the statement said.
Although dengue cases generally peak in October, this year’s trend shows that as of July 31, the number of cases is already almost 50 per cent higher than the corresponding time last year, the statement said.
The health secretary urged the states to ensure that they are prepared for the upcoming peak.
While the number of cases has been rising over the past four years, the Dengue Case Fatality Rate has decreased from 3.3 per cent in 1996 to 0.17 per cent in 2023 due to focused, timely and collaborative efforts, he stated. Chandra also advised the states to be prepared with effective hospital management of dengue patients. “We need to ensure the availability of platelets and hospital resources in the health departments to bring down the fatality rate,” he added.
The official also assured of all support to the states in combatting dengue and encouraged them to submit their proposals to the ministry.
To enhance prevention and control efforts, the Union health secretary called for increased collaboration between the health ministry and the housing and urban affairs ministry by developing a joint action plan.
He also highlighted the need for support from the urban development ministry in the form of cleanliness drives, particularly during the peak period of dengue cases, which spans from the onset of the monsoon season to November, the statement said. The meeting, held on Friday, was participated by the housing and urban affairs ministry as well as secretaries and high-level officials from nine states — Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Eighteen municipal corporations, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, virtually attended the meeting. The highest number of dengue cases so far have been reported from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. S P Singh, additional secretary of the urban affairs ministry, enlisted various steps taken to prevent and control the spread of dengue.
He mentioned the ‘Safai Apnao, Beemari Bhagao Campaign’ and the Swachh Bharat portal. These initiatives focus on monitoring activities related to the elimination of stagnant water and preventing waterlogging, Singh stated.
