CHENNAI: Kicking off its visits to various government hospitals to examine the dengue situation in Tamil Nadu, a five-member Central team on Friday termed 40 deaths due to the disease in the state “minimal” and asked people not to panic as the situation is under control. The team also visited private hospitals in the city and reviewed the situation as more than 12,000 people have been affected due to dengue across Tamil Nadu. Briefing the team about the efforts made by the government to control dengue deaths, health minister C. Vijayabhaskar sought Rs 256 crore from the Union government to enhance its dengue control activities and fight incidence of the disease effectively.
“The death of 40 (people) of the 12,000 (cases) is minimal. It is nothing... no need to create panic,” Ashutosh Biswas, professor of medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and a member of the team, told reporters here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi deputed the team after deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam made a request on Thursday.
Biswas and other members of the team stressed the current situation in Tamil Nadu did not warrant any panic and asked people to participate in large numbers to create awareness on the fever spread by mosquitoes. “There needs to be more community participation. From whatever we have seen, the participation from the public is less. Only when people participate and help the government, the incidence will be reduced,” another member of the team said.
Biswas said the team has come to Chennai to support the state government and also “examine the upsurge of dengue cases” in Tamil Nadu. The team visited Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Egmore Childrens' Hospital, Government Hospital in Valasaravakkam and Sri Ramacha-ndra Medical College and Research University in Porur on Friday. On Saturday, they will visit Medavakkam Government Hospital, Chengalpattu Medical College and Hospital and hospitals in worst affected districts like Salem. Several parts of the country, including Kerala, had witnessed outbreak of the fever, he said.
On the deaths, Biswas said a number of factors, including medical negligence, possibility of any other serious disease, secondary infections and possible late referrals, should also be examined. “We have said we will implement their suggestions. To strengthen our efforts by expanding human resources involved in dengue control activities and procuring more fogging machines. We have sought Central funding of Rs 256 crore,” Vijayabhaskar said.
Kovai quack held for treating dengue patients:
A 54-year-old quack was arrested on Thursday night. Robert Chako, a resident of Ramanathapuram was found running an illegal medical clinic in the name ‘Sun life cure clinic’. He was allegedly treating patients with cancer, AIDS, swine flu, kidney problems and viral fever at his clinic, police said. Recently, he had put up an advertisement board in front of his clinic that he could cure dengue and any viral fever within just three-to-seven days with his medicines.
Based on a tip off, Health department joint director Dr Chandrasekaran, along with Ramanathapuram police, raided his clinic on Thursday night. He was arrested, produced before a court on Friday and lodged in Coimbatore central prison.
