Districts in combat mode to curb dengue, swine flu

The hospitals in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram witnessed a sudden spike in number of fever cases. Out of the 60 odd children undergoing treatment at the Institute of Child Health in Egmore for fever, more than 40 of them are from Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts.

Speaking to the reporters the district collector R Maheshwari said, “The 1,038 health workers and health officials have been deployed to inspect villages in the district. Coconut shells, old paint bottles, tires and plastic materials dumped in open spaces can serve as ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes causing dengue and viral fever.” 

She also noted that 30 vehicles with nurses will hold camps on a regular basis in 52 places in the first phase. Three vehicles meant for fumigation have also been deployed to spray larvicide to curtail the breeding of mosquitoes across the district.

The government hospitals have also been instructed to keep a registry of fever cases and report to the state health administration immediately, she added.

A 16-year-old boy allegedly died of viral fever on Friday at the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital. Vijay of Ayyanchery in Urapakkam, a Class 10 student, was suffering from fever for the past 15 days and was admitted to a private hospital in Urapakkam. As his condition worsened, he was shifted to RGGGH four days ago. On Friday, Vijay died without responding to the treatment. While doctors claimed that the boy died owing to viral fever and there were no symptoms of dengue, residents of Kilambakkam claimed that the municipal officials had failed to keep the area clean, leaving room for suspicion that the boy died of dengue.

Three private factories were fined on Saturday for failing to maintain their premises, which otherwise could act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram. After an inspection at the Diamler India commercial vehicles factory revealed that the water tanks and containers were filled with waste water, Kancheepuram district Collector P Ponnaiah asked the firm to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh. During the inspection in Tiruvallur, Mars India Private Ltd in Kakkalur Industrial Estate was imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 while United Granites, a marble company, was levied Rs 5,000 for failing to check the mosquito breeding sources.

The Vellore district administration has deployed 60 mobile medical teams to carry out awareness campaign on prevention of dengue and swine flu on Saturday. 

Vellore Collector SA Raman flagged off the teams, which will have a doctor, nurse, medical assistant,  assistant and technician, from a private school at Katpadi on Saturday. Twenty taluks in the district will be covered by three teams  each, he said.

The teams will spread awareness of dengue and swine flu prevention methods. They will also ensure that there is no water stagnation and destroy the mosquito breeding sources. 

The public, including students, will be sensitised to the need for washing hands, using handkerchiefs while coughing and sneezing to ward off the swine flu. The Collector added that the district has adequate stock of medicine to combat both types of fever. 

So far, no cases of dengue or swine flu have been reported in Vellore. 

Currently, 1,500 domestic breeding checkers or mazdoors have been pressed into service to aid the awareness and prevention campaigns and the district administration has 400 thermo-fogging machines to destroy the mosquito breeding grounds. The government has also permitted the administration to recruit more workers and fogging machines if needed, Raman added.