CHANDIGARH: Health authorities in Haryana are closely monitoring the cases of dengue fever in the State. An official spokesman said here on Tuesday that 33 confirmed cases of dengue have been reported from four districts so far. "Effective steps are being taken to check the spread of the disease," he added.

A rapid response team would be functioning at all district headquarters and it would promptly institute necessary control measures in case of outbreak, he said.

The spokesman claimed that there had been only one death of a suspected patient in Faridabad district.

While 15 cases had been reported from Faridabad, 11 had been reported from Gurgaon district, six cases from Panchkula and one from Sonipat district.

A control room has been set up in the office of Director, Health Services (Malaria), here at the State headquarters.

Similar control rooms would work round-the-clock in the offices of Civil Surgeons in every district. The situation would be monitored daily by the district officers and also at the State headquarters.

All hospitals in the State have been directed to equip themselves with I V fluids and other material and medicine required for management of such cases.

Separate beds have been reserved for these patients. Regular malathion fogging and anti-larval operations would be undertaken in and around these institutions where the patients have been admitted.

Meanwhile, 11 patients suspected to be suffering from dengue have been admitted to the PGI here. Of these, two have been confirmed by sereological tests.

An official spokesman said the results of the other nine patients were awaited.

Of the 11 patients, four are from Saharanpur, two each from Ludhiana, Pinjore and Chandigarh and one is from Panchkula.

One patient is admitted in the Emergency Medical Ward, two in the Communicable Diseases Ward and the rest are under observation in the Emergency. Eight separate beds have been kept in the Emergency OPD for the dengue cases.

Two beds have been reserved in Emergency Medical Ward and four in the Communicable Diseases Ward. Separate units of platelets rich plasma have been arranged by the Department of Blood Transfusion.

Punjab on alert

Staff Correspondent adds from Chandigarh

Taking a serious view of the spread of suspected dengue fever reported in the region, the Punjab Government has chalked out an extensive strategy to tackle any situation arising in the State.

An official release here on Tuesday said that presiding over a high- level meeting of officials of the concerned departments, the State's Health and Family Welfare Minister Surinder Singla disclosed that all the Government hospitals had been alerted and directed to maintain adequate stocks of medicines and fluids.

Detailed guidelines have been issued to all the civil surgeons in the State to ensure all possible measures and steps to prevent any outbreak of dengue.

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