CHENNAI: Two dengue deaths in Chennai within 48 hours forced the public health officials to zero in on the areas that reported the fatal dengue cases. Both the high profile Gopalapuram and Neelankarai areas saw visits of health workers where two positive fatal dengue cases of school students were reported.
While officials of State Health Department confirmed the death of a seven-year-old boy from DAV school, Gopalapuram, the second case where Krithik Ram, son of a crime inspector Ranjith Kumar who died at a corporate hospital on Monday, is being checked. Actor Kamal Haasan’s tweet on the dengue deaths also triggered tension among health officials who are waging a losing battle against the dengue causing Aedes mosquitoes.
Senior health department officials said the department is checking medical reports of private hospitals to find out if proper protocol was followed for the treatment of Bhargav and Krithik Ram. The school premises are now under the radar and the open premises are to be checked for domestic breeding of mosquitoes, sources said.
When contacted, state health department officials said they are working along with the private hospitals to check if appropriate treatment is being provided to the patients.
Delay in referrals from private hospitals is a major factor for the death of dengue patients. Domestic breeding of dengue virus takes place due to water stagnation in homes, construction sites, overhead tanks, coconut shells and open tanks.
“Though activities like mass cleanliness drive and fogging help to reduce the growth of mosquitoes, a sustainable method to eradicate mosquito breeding by source reduction through active participation of people, local bodies and welfare association can help eradicate the infection,” said the official adding that the local bodies in suburban areas and south Chennai have to scale up their drive against mosquitoes.
Celebrities should actively campaign, plead officials
Top state health officials are caught in the middle of an embarrassing situation involving Kamal Haasan and his daughter Shruti Haasan. While the actor Kamal is hyperactive in social media trolling the efforts of the State Health Department against dengue, the top officials fear that the campaign by Shruti Haasan as brand ambassador for dengue awareness drive has taken a big dent.
State Health Department had roped in Shruti for an ad film on dengue awareness campaign for the Tamil Nadu government. State health officials who did not wish to be named said that media personalities should join hands with the health department to make people aware of the spread of infectious diseases and what preventive measures to take.
“The authorities along with local bodies are working to curb the spread of disease by source reduction and preventive measures. Celebrities and media personalities should join hands to make people aware of the control and prevention of the dengue virus, instead of criticising the department of its efforts to control the same,” said the official.
