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.
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The Delhi government announced on Tuesday the provision of 1,000 more hospital beds and has set up a helpline for people who suspect that they have either dengue or chikungunya. Jain added that the data that was release by AIIMS showed that there were deaths due to dengue.
Taking stock of the situation, Shri Nadda was briefed on the recent upsurge in the cases of Dengue and Chikungunya in Delhi, NCR and other States.
“We never saw any reports in the media till now”, he said, adding that the civic bodies had been told to share with the Delhi government details of the fogging done so far. “Also, we have sought medical history of the deceased patients, whether they had any co-morbid conditions”, Nadda said on the sidelines of a symposium held here on liver transplantation.
Talking about the menace of Chikungunya in the national capital, Nadda said that he has spoken to Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain and assured him of all help.
An 80-year-old man from Ghaziabad has died of chikungunya complications at a private hospital in Delhi, as the toll from the vector-borne disease mounted to six in the national capital.
With the new figures, the death toll caused by the vector borne diseases has reached 27, which also includes the death of a 30-year old due to malaria. We are resolving this matter with Haryana and other governments in the NCR. The boys were then shifted to a children’s speciality hospital in Bengaluru, but succumbed to the disease, their father Sikander said. In 2015, over 15,000 dengue cases were reported, with 60 people dying. Governor Najeeb Jung also urged the people to rise above considerations of politics and fight chikungunya and dengue unitedly.
Delhi authorities have begun to “fog” the city’s streets, spraying clouds of an insecticide and diesel mixture that kills adult mosquitoes instantly. So, no need to panic.
Jain told the media that that all government hospitals in Delhi including AIIMS, Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) have nearly 10,000 beds. It needs to be ensured that the environment is not collecting water which could be vector breeding grounds. “The reports of chikungunya deaths in Delhi are surprising”.
Noting that community participation and empowerment are the most crucial areas in prevention of vector diseases such as Dengue and Chikungunya, Shri Nadda urged people not to panic and maintain high levels of hygiene and sanitation in the surrounding areas.
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“By and large the message is very clear that chikungunya is not a very fatal disease, people should not get frightened”.
