Chennai: Health department intensifies dengue control measures

CHENNAI: The state health department has issued a fresh advisory to directorate of public health to intensify measures to check the breeding of mosquitoes after experts warned that the dengue situation may worsen in the wake of fresh showers across the state.
"In view of the recent rains, there is a possibility of water stagnation in containers and disposed of plastic and junk material, giving rise to breeding of Aedes mosquitoes.So we are strengthening prevention methods," said director of public health Dr K Kolandaisamy.
A senior physician at Kanchi Kamakoti Child Trust Hospital said the hospital sees at least three children with clinical dengue every day. "The hospital wards are overwhelmed with many kids coming in with symptoms such as high fever, vomiting and joint pains. While we also get a lot of cases from neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, the numbers of dengue cases have certainly been surging over the past couple of months," he said.
Dengue is the world's fastest-spreading tropical disease and there is no dedicated treatment for the virus, and those diagnosed by it are generally asked to rest, drink plenty of fluids and take medication to bring down fever and reduce joint pains. "For dengue to occur you need concentrated areas of people - it's a city-based disease and a tricky one to eradicate because the dengue mosquito bites during the day, unlike the malaria mosquito," said the doctor.
Though floodwaters are receding now, there is water stagnation across the city and Aedes mosquitoes breed in freshwater that get collected in discarded tyres, empty coconut shells and unused objects left outside the house, said former director of public health Dr S Elango. "Stagnant water is much more dangerous than flowing water. If immediate steps are not taken, mosquitoes will breed in the collected freshwater and give rise to vector borne disease like dengue, malaria and chikungunya," he warned.
Keeping the possibility of an outbreak in mind, the civic body and department of public health are going all out to control and prevent dengue through various sensitization programmes and preventive measures.
"Most of the efforts are concentrated on households and residential localities. Door-to-door campaigning, fogging and source reduction by eliminating mosquito larvae are done at breeding sites," said a corporation official.