Chennai: Tamil Nadu is conducting India's first dengue vaccine study in Tenkasi district, overseen by the ICMR, Health Minister K G Arunraj said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a workshop on child development here, he said the vaccine is currently part of Brazil's immunisation schedule.

"It is being evaluated for its effectiveness in Indian conditions and currently offers 80 to 90 per cent protection against severe consequences and hospitalisation," he added.

The health minister also said while the current dengue situation is under control, the real challenge will emerge during the rainy season over the next two to three months.

He appealed for public cooperation to prevent water stagnation in households and cautioned against self-medication. "If at all there is a fever case, they should immediately come to the hospital and then they should not venture trying home medicines, home recipes in this regard," he said.

The minister also addressed the recent detection of a single avian flu case at the Vandalur Zoo, confirming the facility has been closed to the public as a precautionary measure while animal handlers are tested.

Defending the state's monsoon preparedness, Arunraj noted that despite an unexpected downpour of over 36 cm in three hours a few days ago, roads were cleared for traffic within hours following multiple review meetings chaired by the chief minister.

On the political front, the minister dismissed accusations by the BJP in Delhi that protesters questioning government policies are "anti-national," stating his party, TVK, stands firmly for democratic ideals and the Constitution.

He also stated the party's opposition to hasty revisions of electoral rolls ahead of elections, calling instead for a transparent process to ensure free and fair polling.

Earlier, addressing the gathering at the workshop on child development and Artificial Intelligence, the minister urged the media to reframe narratives around children with developmental delays.

He requested journalists to highlight early intervention successes, noting that dignity, rather than pity or inspiration, is the narrative that leaves the child intact.

He further challenged the press to hold the government accountable for outcomes -- such as therapy accessibility and travel distances -- rather than merely counting screening camps.

Identifying fundamental pillars of early development, Arunraj stressed that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months is an essential requirement for a child's brain development. Equally vital is psychological nourishment.

"Unconditional positive regard is the most important vitamin and mineral a parent can give to the child," he said, urging parents to embrace their children without judgment.

Speaking on the intersection of AI and journalism, the minister noted its utility in quickly translating datasets like the National Family Health Survey into Tamil charts or captioning media for inclusivity. However, he issued strict ethical guidelines, cautioning reporters against letting machines generate the face of a child to illustrate stories on disability.

He warned that AI medical suggestions are merely hypotheses for paediatricians, not confirmed facts for print, and reminded reporters to verify data against official sources because a "machine's confidence is not evidence".

Stressing that public trust cannot be restored by a correction, he urged journalists to disclose AI usage and reminded them that no machine can replace the human empathy required to notice a distressed child at an Anganwadi centre. 

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