Visakhapatnam: Intensify measures to check seasonal diseases

Visakhapatnam: Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Health Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas (Alla Nani) said that the district administration should pay special attention on controlling seasonal diseases.

Addressing the health officials at a review meeting held on seasonal diseases at VMRDA Children's Arena here on Tuesday, the minister said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials concerned to control the outbreak of the seasonal diseases.

He said the state government was taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the seasonal diseases in the wake of heavy rains recorded across the state. He said dengue, malaria and chicken pox were on the rise in Visakhapatnam district whereas dengue and malaria cases were being reported more in rural and agency areas. This year, 462 dengue cases were reported in urban areas, 708 malaria cases in agency areas and 24 chicken pox cases in Visakhapatnam, the Deputy CM shared.

He called for a special attention on rural areas and urged the health officials to organise medical camps and awareness programmes in the region and underlined the need to intensify sanitation measures in the areas.

District in-charge Minister Kurasala Kannababu said there was a need to look into micro level to control seasonal diseases. He said that steps should be taken to bring down dengue, malaria in Visakhapatnam and the door-to-door fever survey is the need of the hour. He exhorted ASHA workers, ANMs, volunteers and doctors to work towards bringing down the number of seasonal disease cases across the district.

Speaking on the occasion, Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao said the state was giving top priority to health and education sectors by investing crores.

District Collector A Mallikarjuna said steps were in place to facilitate performing surgeries from October 15 in Agency areas and from November 1 at Araku Area Hospitals. The collector said care was taken to prevent and control seasonal diseases. "Tests will be intensified for dengue as 60 per cent of the cases were recorded in urban areas," the collector informed.

In areas where more dengue cases were registered, Mallikarjuna added, fogging, observance of dry day for two days a week, awareness programmes will be taken up.

Government whip B Muthyala Naidu, GVMC Mayor G Hari Venkata Kumari, VMRDA chairperson A Vijayanirmala, MLAs T Nagireddy, Karanam Dharmasri, K Bhagyalakshmi, municipal commissioner G Srijana, ITDA PO R Gopalakrishna, health officials attended the review meet.