Suspend Lethargic Health Staff: CM Revanth Reddy

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said that health officials who were found negligent in their duties amid the rise of seasonal diseases would face suspension. The CM expressed grave concern over the increasing cases of dengue, chikungunya and other viral fevers and stressed that preventive measures must be taken urgently before the situation worsened.

During a review meeting held at the Secretariat, CM Revanth Reddy directed the officials to intensify fogging and spraying operations to combat the mosquito menace statewide. He directed that officials under the GHMC jurisdiction work with the medical and health department officials and the district collectors.

Later, health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha direted officials to set up a state-level control room under the supervision of the Director of Public Health (DH) to monitor dengue control efforts. The minister also ordered that details of patients receiving treatment for seasonal diseases in all government and private hospitals be reported to the control room.

He instructed that the control room provide guidance to ensure that patients affected by seasonal diseases receive proper medical care.

At the review meeting, Revanth Reddy called for a coordinated effort involving the police, voluntary organisations and the media to educate the public about the dangers of seasonal diseases and the importance of preventive measures. District collectors and panchayat raj officials were instructed to launch a special drive aimed at preventing the spread of these diseases, with field visits to be conducted in all villages and towns to monitor the situation closely.

The CM directed the officials to visit areas where dengue and chikungunya cases have been reported, investigate the causes and implement necessary sanitation programmes to prevent further outbreaks.

Major threat

Public health department data gives a snapshot of spread of dengue, chikungunya so far this year

Dengue cases

Statewide: 5,372 cases; 81,932 samples tested; positivity rate 6.5%.

July 1-Aug. 18: 3,237.

Top 10 dengue high risk districts: Hyderabad (1,852), Suryapet (471), Medchal-Malkajgiri (426), Khammam (375), Nalgonda (315), Nizamabad (286), Rangareddy (232), Jagtial (185), Sangareddy (160) and Warangal (110).

Chikungunya

Statewide: 152 cases; 2,673 samples tested; positivity rate 5%.

High-risk districts: Hyderabad (61), Wanaparthy (17) and Mahbubnagar (19).

Malaria

Statewide: 191 cases; 23,19,283 samples tested; positivity rate 0.008%.

Viral fevers

Statewide: 2,65,324 cases, found in 1.4 crore house visits, screening of 4.4 crore people.