Dengue cases on the decline

Tirupati: Giving respite to Medical and Health Department officials, the number of dengue and swine flu cases were on declining trend in the district, which were so rampant last year.

Out of 421 dengue cases registered in the district last year, 20 were reported in January whereas this year only four cases were tested positive in the same month so far of which only three were from the district and the other two from Nellore and Kadapa, said Dr P Vasudeva Naidu of Microbiology department in Sri Venkateswara Medical College.

He said they have tested a total of 46 samples so far in which 42 were tested negative. Of the three positive cases in the district, two are from Tirupati and the another from Madanapalle which clearly shows that dengue is under total control.

Confirming the same the District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr S Vijaya Gowri said, “Dengue was absolutely under control. Last year, with the cooperation of line departments we undertook several activities to bring awareness among the public on dengue and it yielded desired results”.

As mosquitoes cause dengue fever, the officials have focussed their attention to educate the public to maintain cleanliness at their homes and surroundings and take care of stagnated water. House-to-house survey was conducted and steps were taken to maintain good sanitation so that spread of mosquitoes can be arrested.

The panchayat and municipal staff took care of identifying mosquito breeding spots at various places and fogging was done. Special focus was laid on dengue suspected villages in all parts of the district.

Normally more cases will register during rainy season and with the steps being taken last year, mosquito population causing dengue was eradicated, said the District Malaria Officer Dr Srinivasa Rao. He said, the malaria cases now were absolutely zero.

During October and November last year, entire official machinery in the district was in grip of severe tension with more than 20 deaths were registered in a single month in Varadaiahpalem mandal with poor sanitation in several villages of the mandal.

As fevers were identified with dengue symptoms for most of the patients, the Collector instructed the officials to treat every case as probable dengue case only. However, DM&HO has said that there was no single death in the district last year.

When asked about the deaths in Varadaiahpalem mandal, she said, they were considered as probable dengue cases only as the confirmation test ELISA was not done in all the cases.

Also, the district topped in swine flu cases last year with about 80 cases from January to March, this year no case was reported so far. “In most cases last year swine flu spread from Tamil Nadu as people were commuting between both states.

But, this time, the cases have significantly dropped there also,” DM&HO maintained. So, now we were focussing more on maternal deaths and immunisation programme. In fact, district recorded only 86 per cent in immunisation and with special drives it was brought to 93 per cent. The remaining target has to be fulfilled during February-March, she said.

By V Pradeep Kumar