Hyderabad: With a major shortage of manpower and a big area to monitor, Ranga Reddy district health officers said that only 10 per cent of dengue cases are being attended to. Reports said there were more than 1,000 cases of dengue in the district from July to September but only 175 were officially reported.
A senior health official said Ranga Reddy district was spread over a vast area. “It is becoming difficult for officers to identify and record all cases. There is no proper notification from small private hospitals. Hence dengue cases are being missed. Only those cases which are reported in the government sector are being notified.”
Private hospitals have been asked to notify dengue cases to the government but the mechanism is still not in place. A senior officer said that when dengue cases are not reported, follow-up action in terms of carrying out dry days in the area is not followed. “Basic hygiene and cleanliness are also not checked, cases are only going to rise,” he said.
Spraying and fogging are being carried out only in some areas. Another officer said, “There are a large number of open spaces between homes and housing colonies. These have been filled completely with water due to the recent rains and have become breeding ground for mosquitoes. These plots are used by residents to dump waste adding to the problem.” Saket, Nacharam, Raje-ndranagar, LB Nagar, Alwal and Kukatpally have reported more than 500 cases of dengue.
