The Hindu : New Delhi News : BJP refutes Government claim over meningitis control

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 03, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

BJP refutes Government claim over meningitis control

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: : Contesting the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's claim that the outbreak of meningococcal meningitis in the Capital was under control, the Leader of the Opposition in the MCD, Subhash Arya, on Thursday accused the Congress administration of having "miserably failed" to control the outbreak of meningitis and other waterborne diseases.

As many as 393 cases of meningococcal meningitis have been reported in the Capital till May 31. Of these, 42 patients have died with one more death being reported at Safdarjung Hospital here in the last 24 hours.

In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Arya said the Government's claim that rise in temperatures would stem the incidence of meningococcal meningitis was completely misplaced as new cases were being reported despite summer being at its peak.

Attacking the Government for "the rising incidence of water-borne diseases such as cholera, malaria and gastroenteritis", Mr. Arya pointed out that till May 31, a total of 41 cases of malaria had been reported compared to 27 during the same period last year.

Alleging that the Government was not adequately discharging its duties, he put forward the lack of house checks for mosquito larva, which mature in pools of stagnant water, as the reason for the rising incidence of the disease.

At the core of the Government's failure was "the lack of facilities and even when facilities were available, medicines were not", he stated.

Citing an example, he said more than half of the drinking water samples collected by the Delhi Jal Board tested unfit for consumption.

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