5,000 dengue cases in State, admits Minister

He expressed confidence that efforts being made by the health department would free the State of dengue in about 10 days. 

Stating that the government machinery has been equipped with the required manpower, medicines and materials to combat dengue, the minister said that they were approaching the dengue crisis with a three-pronged approach of awareness, eradication of the mosquito larvae and treatment in lines with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. 

He said that health officials have been asked to treat all fever patients as inpatients. Vijayabaskar administered a dengue eradication pledge for school students and conservancy workers. After inspecting dengue treatment provided at government hospitals in Salem district, with Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan and conducting a review meeting with the doctors and officials concerned, the minister expressed confidence that the spread of dengue would soon be arrested. 

He said that the government hospitals have been equipped with special wards to treat dengue cases, and added that authorities were also monitoring the cases in private hospitals. “Special teams comprising doctors, health inspectors and field workers have been asked to check any place from which three or more fever cases are reported,” he claimed. 

While the number of persons, who died of dengue (directly and indirectly) is quite high, Radhakrishnan claimed that the fever has claimed only 10 lives across the State while other types of fever have claimed 15 lives.