Intermittent rain could worsen dengue: Veena George

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the intermittent rain lashing the district, Health Minister Veena George has urged the public to be vigilant against diseases like dengue and rat fever. She was speaking at a meeting held on Friday to discuss ways to tackle the spread of these diseases. The meeting decided on comprehensive measures to control dengue-carrying mosquitoes in homes and public places. The health department and the LSGD department decided to work jointly to tackle the challenge. There are over 5,000 dengue cases and 23 deaths (including both suspected and confirmed) reported in the state in the past three weeks. Veena said that ‘Dry days’ will be observed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the coming eight weeks. Schools will observe ‘Dry days’ on Fridays, offices on Saturdays and houses on Sundays. The health department gave directives to private hospitals to report viral fever cases and provide treatment as per protocol to prevent death due to the disease. For this, district medical officers have been instructed to complete further training in the government and private sector. The activities of the District Vector Control Units were analysed separately. The minister directed the district medical officers to effectively implement mosquito control activities by deploying District Vector Control Units efficiently.