Despite an intensive drive undertaken by the administration to control mosquito breeding, dengue cases are on the rise here due to continuous rains, tanks overflowing, rainwater stagnating and plastic wastes and containers being dumped near residential areas.
Officials said former Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry department and veterinary surgeon Murugaiah died of dengue fever.
Many dengue affected people were treated at the government hospital here and taluk hospitals.
In Chinnalapatti alone, four people were diagnosed with the vector-borne disease. The Department of Health Services has already started distributing herbal concoction to the patients at Dindigul GH and primary health centres.
The officials said more cases of dengue were being reported from the areas where poor people lived.
Many cases were detected late, said Elango, former director of public health department.
People who showed symptoms of the disease bough medicines over the counter and approached doctors only when the situation worsened.
Steps were being taken to clear the garbage. Moderate rains were creating ideal ground for breeding of mosquitoes. PTI corr SSN.
