Review meeting held on preparedness of States
JP Nadda, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, has given topmost priority to advance preparedness of states affected by dengue, in order to prevent the disease and effectively manage it. The Minister has directed the officials in the Ministry to gear up to meet the possible incidence of dengue during monsoon. “We are coordinating with states concerned and are ready to provide all necessary support,” said Nadda. Under his direction, BP Sharma, Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) chaired a high-level meeting to review the dengue situation in four northern states viz. Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and National Capital Territory of Delhi. Dr (Prof) Jagdish Prasad, DGHS, CK Mishra, Additional Secretary and Mission Director (NHM), and Health Secretaries and representatives from the states participated in the meeting.
Reviewing the preparedness of the states in view of the ensuing transmission season, the states were advised that as no vaccine is available for prevention and as there is no specific drug for treatment of the disease, source reduction activity to eliminate the mosquito vector breeding needs to be the top priority to reduce the risk of transmission.
The states were asked to strengthen and work towards focussed IEC activities in coordination with Swachha Bharat Campaign to maintain a mosquito free environment. The Health Secretary pointed out that community awareness campaign plays a crucial role to create awareness and prevent panic in case of dengue positivity. The states have been advised to launch public awareness campaigns to disseminate information on the dos and don’ts of dengue to enable and educate communities for prevention of dengue.
The Health Secretary also stressed on inter-sectoral coordination for prevention of mosquitogenic condition. The states were advised to give priority to training of doctors based on the recent National Guidelines on Dengue case management. The states were also asked to ensure availability of dengue diagnostic kits (ELISA based NS1 and IgM) in all the Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals. Provision of implementation of legislation for the construction sites and residential areas was identified as one of the thrust areas during the meeting.
The Health Minister was briefed about the proceedings and the preparedness of the states. He directed the concerned officers to continuously monitor the situation and to keep him apprised.
Source: PIB
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