Centre asks SDMC to compile reports on dengue and chikungunya

With a spike in chikungunya and dengue cases in Delhi, the Centre on Wednesday asked the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to compile a report of such cases while asking the state government to include modality of treatment for the diseases in its awareness campaigns. 

The Union Health Ministry also said that Principal Secretary in Delhi government’s health department will be the nodal person for monitoring and overall coordination of implementation of the programme for prevention and control of dengue and chikungunya in the national Capital.

Union Health secretary C K Mishra held a meeting with officials of various agencies, including Delhi government and MCDs, to review preparedness of various agencies to prevent and manage chikungunya and dengue in the national Capital. Officials of the Health Ministry admitted that in Delhi the cases of chikungynya have been higher than dengue. The Ministry is also learnt to have asked the government hospitals in Delhi to clean their premises and ensure that stagnant water is not lying by August 26 to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.

“The Health Secretary directed the officials for strengthening vector control and surveillance, SDMC to collect and compile the report and share with National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), modality of treatment of Chikungunya also to be included in the IEC campaign. 

“...Emphasising domiciliary care to sensitise the community and Principal Secretary (Health), Delhi government will be the nodal person for monitoring and overall coordination of implementation of the programme for prevention and control of dengue and chikungunya in Delhi,” an official statement said.

A senior Health Ministry official has said that while there have been around 600 cases of chikungunya cases in Delhi, over hundred cases of dengue have been reported. Officials attributed the outbreak of chikungunya to shorter incubation period in mosquitoes as compared to dengue.