Mysuru: The Vector-borne Diseases Report released by the Department of Health and Family Welfare records 256 cases of dengue in the last six month (up to June 27, 2017). However, neither the District Administration nor the health department is willing to confirm whether there are any deaths due to dengue. On the contrary, they are firm to state that there is no death confirmed due to dengue.

This was the stand taken at a meeting on Dengue and other Vector-borne diseases, held here this morning at the Deputy Commissioner’s office chaired by the DC D. Randeep. He called for a massive awareness programme to be conducted by a joint committee that includes the District and City health officials and talk about the importance of cleanliness. The team should also visit private hospitals and collect information from them regarding the spread of diseases, he added.

Randeep said that the private pathology labs should strictly follow the guidelines issued by the Government with regard to the fee structure and if found that they are not following it, then suitable action would be taken against them.

The DC asked the District Death and Audit Committee to study the fever-related deaths and announce the cause of death. The Committee will comprise of District Vector-borne Diseases Control Officer, District Health Officer, District Surgeon, Medical Officer treating the patients, an Entomologist and an Epidemiologist will study each report and send the report to the State audit committee for declaration of the causes.

MLA upset with officials

Meanwhile, as the meeting was nearing its end, MLA M.K. Somashekar joined the meeting and took the officials to task for the way they were handling the situation. He charged that they were not responsible enough to keep the city clean and as a result, there was panic among the people regarding the spread of dengue and other diseases.

He asked the MCC Commissioner G. Jagadeesha to employ more people in cleaning operations as there is spread of parthenium and weeds, due to rains in the city. Jagdeesha replied that the Pourakarmikas were already there to do the job and they would protest if more were employed.  Somashekar not convinced with the reply insisted that they should go ahead, employ more people, and get the parthenium and other weeds removed.

One of the private doctors who attended the meeting, Dr Yasmin, said that NR Mohalla is a place where there is outbreak of diseases and the reason is because cleanliness is not maintained here.

DHO Dr Basavaraju, ZP CEO M. Shivashankar, other officials from the District, administrators and doctors from private hospitals participated in the meeting.

Disease report

The District Health andFamily Welfare Department released a report (a copy of which is with Star of Mysore), of the number of cases of various diseases in the last four years. In 2014, 54 cases of Malaria was reported, while in 2015 it was 34, 2016 saw 43 cases and in 2017 no case has been reported till now. In three-and-a-half years there is no death reported.

When it comes to dengue that has sent a scare among the people in the city, 66 cases were reported in 2014, it was 382 in 2015, went up to 582 in 2016 and it is 256 till now in 2017.

However, here also there is not a single death reported in all these years.

Similarly, in the case of Chikungunya the number of cases was 13 in 2014, 111 in 2015, 158 in 2016 and 11 until now in 2017. Even here, there is not a single death in all these years. In the last four years, not a single case of brain fever or Japanese encephalitis has been reported.