Amid a rising number of dengue cases, Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday directed the federal health secretary to identify and send a team of experts to states and union territories with high active dengue cases.
In a bid to review the public health measures undertaken for controlling and managing the dengue, the minister chaired a high-level meeting with the Delhi government. He assured the central government’s full support to the Delhi government.
Meanwhile, Mandaviya also emphasised that many poor people are affected by dengue who are weakened due to low platelet count.
“Primary health care centres may prescribe antipyretic drugs to suppress the symptoms without addressing the root cause which may lead to the eventual demise of the patient. Since testing is the most important step to identifying dengue, these deaths will not be reported as such and the incidence will continue to be under-reported," the minister said in a statement.
He also directed authorities to ramp up testing so that all cases are reported and treated properly.
As many of the hospitals in Delhi are over-burdened with dengue cases, the federal minister asked Delhi government officials to look into the possibility of repurposing COVID beds to treat dengue.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has declared dengue a notified disease which will enhance reporting and monitoring of the disease.
As per Delhi's civic body report released on Monday, 531 new dengue cases have been reported in the last week in Delhi and till now six deaths have been reported this year. India's national capital city has reported 1,537 cases of dengue this year.