According to the State Health and Family Welfare Department, the State has recorded 10 deaths and 1,191 dengue positive cases in seven months (January-July 2012) as against five deaths and 405 positive cases in the 12 months of 2011. These are officially recorded figures, but plenty of cases go unrecorded as well. Though the figures have doubled, the health department has announced no combative measures.
Every year, with the onset of the monsoon, the State is hit by dengue. Health authorities do whatever little they do only when positive cases and dengue death are reported. Why isn’t the government looking for a permanent solution to keep the disease at bay?
Anjum Parvez, Commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare, said there is no permanent solution only “sensitising” people through advertisements in the media. The advertisements are all about the public keeping their surroundings clean.
“There is no permanent solution to put an end to dengue menace. Only thing we can do is create awareness among the public about maintaining proper hygiene and cleanliness in their surroundings. Research is on to create a vaccine, but that is going to take some time,” was all the help the public is going to get from the commissioner.
He attributes the increased number of cases this year to the erratic monsoon. “The monsoon this year is not routine. It is pouring intermittently thereby forming apt fresh water reserves for the dengue-spreading mosquitoes to breed and multiply.” In short, nothing his department can do, so no point asking,
Dr A.B. Chowdhury, joint director, communicable diseases, also reiterated that there is no permanent solution to keep dengue at bay. “We are taking every possible preventive measure, right from fogging to the larvae survey in areas where the dengue havoc was high the previous year. The health minister had a video conference with all district health officers and heads of major private hospitals a few days ago.”
There are 19 authorised centres for testing dengue in the State, including four in the city (NIV at Victoria Hospital, PHI at Sesadri Road, NCDC at Bellary Road and NIMHANS). Dr Chowdhury is miffed at private hospitals declaring cases to be positive after testing the blood in their own laboratories.
He said the joint commissioner, health, of the Government of India, is coming here to study the dengue scenario in Karnataka. Maybe that will jolt the government out of its apathy.