Govt asks collectors to control, monitor fever cases on regular basis

Chennai: The state government on Thursday  informed the district collectors to intensify vector control measures and monitor the number of fever cases on a regular basis. A high-level meeting conducted by the local administration minister S. P. Velumani and health minister Vijayabhaskar directed the civic and health officials to ascertain measures taken to control vector-borne diseases and mosquito breeding.

As per the instructions, the district administrations should form taluk wise rapid response team to tackle epidemic outbreaks and attend to it on a war footing. In the case of fever or if there is the incidence of dengue the area has to be scanned at a micro level, which includes the destruction of mosquito breeding sources, said an official who attended the meeting.

The team should also keep the district health officials posted on the reasons for the fever and report on the action taken to prevent an epidemic outbreak. All the patients affected with zoonotic infections should be monitored and ELISA tests are periodically taken on vulnerable groups, the official said.

To act fast against dengue, the number of diagnosing centres has been revised from 75 to 90 and the protocol includes stocking up of dengue-related drugs and also take follow-up action against newspapers that report on the incidence of vector control diseases. The meeting, which was also attended by health secretary J. Radhakrishnan and corporation commissioner D. Karthikeyan also urged the participants to intensify health awareness campaigns and strengthen the existing public health control rooms, the official added.

The state also instructed the civic officials to distribute Nilavembu, Papaya leaf syrup and herbal malaivembu that has clinically proved to be a strong drug against dengue.