With a spurt in dengue and chikungunya cases, the Union Health Ministry has directed municipal bodies in the national capital "intensify" preventive measures including fogging with special focus on construction sites and slum colonies.
The Ministry has also directed doctors at various CGHS centers to provide consultation and primary out patient medical care to all patients having symptoms of dengue and chickungunya even if they are not CGHS beneficiaries.
Following the review meeting undertaken by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha with committee of secretaries and Delhi government officials recently, the Health Ministry has shot shot off letters to all the municipal corporations, NDMC and Delhi government asking them to widely publicise the preventive measures.
"As a follow up I am given to understand that the director NVBDCP has asked Municipal Health Officers (MHOs) to intensify source reduction and anti-larvel activities with focus on construction sites and slum colonies. Fogging is recommended in areas reporting clustering of cases.
"It is reiterated that the vector control activities need to be supervised by senior officers of the corporation. The activities being undertaken by the corporation for prevention and control of chikungunya may be widely publicized to bring greater visibility and awareness," said K B Agarwal, additional secretary Health Ministry in his letter to all the bodies.
Sinha during the meeting had asked various agencies to accelerate preventive actions like fogging, running public awareness programmes and putting up an effective monitoring system.
In his letter to the chief secretary Delhi government, Agarwal said that there was an "abnormally" high number of chikungunya cases and in most cases, hospitalisation is not required.
"It is therefore decided that efforts needed to be accelerated to not only advise patients about fever management at home, but also to treat the cases near to homes...
"...Through mobile clinics, dispensaries involving medical officers and para medical staff and support from community volunteers for the same," the letter said.
Dengue had claimed the lives of eight persons this season
in the national capital although municipal authorities have acknowledged only two deaths. At least 487 cases of dengue have so far been reported in the national capital this season, with 368 of them being recorded last month.
In his letter to the director CGHS, the Health Ministry said, "As one of the initiatives, it has been decided that all doctors at various CGHS wellness centres shall provide consultation services and primary out patient medical care to all citizens - whether CGHS beneficiaries or not - who may visit the wellness centres with symptoms of dengue and chikungunya, a primarily high fever".
A top Health Ministry official had yesterday said that during the meeting with cabinet secretary, it was decided that from next week, a high intensity information education and communication (IEC) campaign will be launched which will not only be restricted to advertisements in newspapers but also reach out to the grassroot level including 'mohallahs'.
He had also said that the dengue strain which was circulating in Delhi is not virulent while noting that there have been more chikungunya cases in Delhi than dengue this year.
