“The issue of helping with the bed strength in the central government hospitals was also discussed”, said Nadda.
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Chikungunya patients receive treatment at LNJP Hospital on Friday.
Terming engagement with private healthcare sector as “critical”, World Health Organization said that even probable dengue cases during outbreaks need to be reported to get more effective estimates while noting that strong surveillance, vector control, early diagnosis and case management and public awareness are key to control these vector-borne diseases.
Delhi authorities have begun to “fog” the city’s streets, spraying clouds of an insecticide and diesel mixture that kills adult mosquitoes instantly.
In his letter to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the Delhi government is making efforts to tackle the “outbreak” of dengue and chikungunya.
The symptoms of chikungunya are similar to dengue, but experts say chikungunya is generally not “life-threatening” but in rare cases can trigger complications which prove fatal, especially in elderly and children.
Out of the 15 deaths, Apollo Hospital has reported five, while AIIMS, Hindu Rao Hospital and Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute recorded one death each.
The Congress party, meanwhile, September 3 demanded that the outburst of the vector-borne diseases be declared as “national health emergency” following the death of 32 persons in the national capital in the past few days. We want people to know that Delhi government is adequately prepared and, our hospitals and mohalla clinics are equipped with testing facilities and fever clinics. “Mr Nadda has agreed to it following which there will be additional 1,000 beds at Centre-run hospitals”, the minister said.
ASSOCHAM said that tourism and aviation industries were heavily getting affected due to the outbreak of chiukungunya and dengue, and the rising deaths triggered by the disease.
Among the three corporations, SDMC has recored 304 cases, followed by 244 in areas under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and 80 under the East Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Asked whether Delhi will take patients from other states, Jain said, “We are not denying treatment to anybody coming to Delhi for treatment”.
Chikungunya and dengue has claimed at least 33 lives and affected almost 3,000 people in the national capital.
The death toll due to dengue rose to 18 with half of the fatalities reported from AIIMS even as the number of cases of this vector-borne disease crossed 1,100.
The Delhi Government today issued an order declaring chikungunya as a risky disease and directed the MCD to keep record of such cases and inform about the same.
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Doctors say all those who died had been suffering from some chronic diseases, including kidney ailment and diabetes, which got aggravated due to the chikungunya virus. It needs to be ensured that the environment is not collecting water which could be vector breeding grounds.
