CHENNAI: With dengue and viral fever cases continuing to rise across Chennai and Tamil Nadu, hospitals are gearing up for an increase in patient inflow, with additional beds, dedicated fever wards and treatment facilities being readied ahead of the northeast monsoon.

The Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children in Egmore is set to open a new 60-bed ward on Monday, amid a rise in the number of children seeking treatment for viral fever. The additional facility is expected to ease pressure on existing paediatric wards.

Private hospitals in Chennai are also witnessing a surge in patients with respiratory infections, influenza and dengue, with crowded outpatient departments and wards. Some hospitals have reported waits of up to 12 hours for beds, although doctors said most infections were mild.

At the State level, around 19,000 dengue cases and nine deaths had been reported up to Sunday. Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu were among the districts reporting higher numbers of fever cases. About 2.24 lakh dengue tests had been conducted, while fever surveillance was being carried out at 5,818 government and private medical facilities. As many as 26,303 health workers have been deployed for field-level surveillance and response.

In Chennai, more than 3,000 fever cases were reported during the first 20 days of September, including 180 dengue cases. Around 4,500 fever cases were reported in August, of which 160 were dengue. Adyar, Anna Nagar and Valasaravakkam have reported relatively higher numbers.

The Greater Chennai Corporation has intensified mosquito-control operations across all 15 zones, with house-to-house surveillance, source reduction, larvicidal treatment and fogging being stepped up amid intermittent rain. Officials have also been directed to obtain regular fever-case reports from private hospitals and identify mosquito-breeding sources around reported cases.

Government hospitals across the State are being kept prepared with fever wards, diagnostic facilities, medicines, equipment and beds. In Thoothukudi, a government medical college hospital has already earmarked 100 beds in separate adult and paediatric dengue wards, reflecting the broader preparedness drive.

While the Health Department has said the State’s dengue situation is within the seasonal pattern and not at an unusually high or dangerous level, the continuing rise in cases has prompted hospitals and civic agencies to maintain heightened preparedness as the monsoon progresses.