Dengue: 20,000 defaulters get notice

According to Dr Kolandaisamy, director, Department of Public Health, there are about 10,000 teams conducting doorto-door checking across the state. 

“Almost 35,000 to 40,000 workers, health inspectors, nurses, doctors, mobile medical team - adding to a total of around 50,000 people are working for this drive. 

In the city alone, there are around 350 to 400 teams working on this - nearly 5,000 people. We therefore sent them notices and if they fail to clear up everything, action will be taken against them,” Dr Kolandaisamy said. 

“We are trying to evolve a community-based, community-involved and a community-owned aedes mosquito eradication programme. Unless we tackle this, the number of cases will continue to rise. Merely keeping count of the number of cases and deaths is not going to solve the problem. 

Focus of checking the disease has to be solely on destroying breeding sources,” heath secretary Dr J Radhakrishan told DTNext. Health department officials said that in case of failure to adhere to the instructions to curb the spread of dengue, Tamil Nadu Public Health Act 134 (1) involves punishment for  Penalties for Offences under the Act. IPC 269 is applicable to those who are involved in negligent acts likely to spread infection of diseases dangerous to life. 

“If they fail to follow, there are chances that they will have to spend six months in prison, while also paying a fine of Rs 1 lakh,” Dr Radhakrishnan added. 

Stating that people’s participation is the most important aspect, which is also found to be lacking in the state, Radhakrishnan pointed out that while treating dengue cases and preventing deaths formed the priority, the internationally accepted approach to such a situation is to ensure that the aedes mosquito breeding sources are destroyed.