The Hindu : Front Page : Dengue: Minister calls emergency meet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 05, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Dengue: Minister calls emergency meet

Staff Reporter

Private hospitals told to comply strictly with instructions

P.K. Sreemathy stresses the need for vector-control measures.

PATHANAMTHITTA: Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy has stressed the need to concentrate on vector-control measures and mosquito-source-reduction in view of the confirmation of 28 dengue fever cases in Pathanamthitta district.

The Minister was talking to mediapersons after an emergency meeting of Health Department officials at the Government Guesthouse here on Monday.

The total number of clinically confirmed dengue fever cases in the district is 28 with two private hospitals at Kozhencherry reportedly confirming the viral infection in 25 patients (19 at Poyyanil Hospital and six at Muthoot Medical Centre) in the past one month.

Ms. Sreemathy said that private hospitals should strictly comply with the standing instructions given by the District Medical Officer and promptly inform the authorities concerned on detection of any such infectious disease or death due to it. Notice would be served on private hospitals for the non-compliance of standing instructions.

Call to local bodies

She said that unlike chikungunya, dengue was hazardous and it was high time co-ordinated efforts by Government departments and local self-governments were launched on a war footing to contain it.

Local bodies should mobilise the public and ensure their active participation in the vector-control drive, she added. The Minister said that in spite of the meetings of local body authorities convened by Local Administration Minister Paloli Muhammed Kutty, the involvement of local self-governments in the vector-control programme in was found ineffective.

"However, it is also a fact that certain affected panchayats are actively participating in the vector-control and sanitation programmes," she added.

The Minister said it was high time local bodies realised the threat posed by viral infection and acted before it reached an epidemic proportion. The Health Department would extend all technical support to them, she added.

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

Front Page