The Hindu : National : Government says country is not facing an epidemic

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 08, 2006
ePaper

National

National

Government says country is not facing an epidemic

Correspondent

Confirmed cases of dengue, chikungunya rise

NEW DELHI: As confirmed cases of both dengue and chikungunya continued to rise, the Union Government on Saturday said the country would remain vulnerable to both till November — when temperatures are expected to dip — and sought citizens' help in containing the "public health situation."

Briefing journalists here after Cabinet Secretary B.K. Chaturvedi convened a meeting to take stock of the situation, Union Health Secretary P.K. Hota said the situation vis-a-vis chikungunya was "serious." In the case of dengue, he said the situation in Delhi was serious but nothing that the health set-up of the Capital could not handle. However, he maintained that the country was not facing an epidemic. To questions on the Government's reluctance to declare an epidemic, he said: "Will declaration of an epidemic contain the disease?"

Till date, 3,331 cases of dengue with 45 deaths and 1,533 cases of chikungunya have been reported from across the country. Kerala is an area of concern because it has recorded high incidence of both dengue and chikungunya. Delhi tops the dengue list with 825 cases and 18 deaths, followed by Kerala which has reported 713 cases and four deaths. Gujarat has recorded 424 cases and three deaths, Rajasthan 326 cases and eight deaths, and West Bengal 314 cases and three deaths.

As for chikungunya, a total of 12,99,183 suspected cases have been reported from 10 States and Union Territories. Of the 13,568 samples sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in the Capital, 1,533 have tested positive. In this case, Andhra Pradesh has reported the highest number of suspected cases at 77,373 but Maharashtra tops the list of confirmed cases at 679. Karnataka comes second with 294 confirmed cases and Andhra third with 248. Kerala, as of date, has only got 33 confirmed cases, according to data compiled by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.

About the chikungunya deaths claimed by the Kerala Government, Mr. Hota said knowledge about this disease was sketchy and the help of the World Health Organisation has been sought in understanding it. WHO has confirmed that it does not cause death, he said.

According to Mr. Hota, the Cabinet Secretary said it was important that every householder doubled up as a "health constable" and ensured that there was no stagnant water around in the house. "It is preposterous to expect government servants to invade the privacy of every home to check water-coolers," Mr. Hota said while adding that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi had made over 20,000 prosecutions.

Blood availability

On the availability of blood, Mr. Hota and Indian Red Cross Society secretary-general S.P. Agarwal said there was no shortage of blood in the Capital. Maintaining that only a maximum of 10 per cent of all dengue cases required blood transfusion, Mr. Hota said problems relating to availability of blood pertained to rare blood groups.

According to Dr. Agarwal, already 932 platelet concentrates had been supplied to hospitals in the Capital and arrangements were being made to ensure ready supply of another 2,000 such units. The IRCS, he said, had lined up a number of blood donation camps over the next fortnight to collect blood.

As a health advisory, Mr. Hota urged people having fever not to take aspirin or Ibrufane group of medicines as both tend to increase bleeding. Likewise, antibiotics are avoidable. Instead, the fever should be monitored for a couple of days and a blood test done. Also, according to him, every city hospital was equipped to deal with dengue and there was no need to rush to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). "The load on AIIMS of dengue cases is primarily because of the temptation among people to rush to the apex hospital."

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National