Dengue and Swine flu claim 34 lives in Tamil Nadu

It all began with the death of twins at the Egmore government hospital due to Dengue and the death of a woman at the Madurai hospital due to Swine flu.

Since then, there has been a steep increase in the death tolls and more number of people are getting infected with the virus.

The inadequate number of Sanitary Inspectors (SI) can be blamed as one of the reasons for the widespread prevalence of the disease. Out of 232 posts, only 106 had been appointed at the wake of the diseases.

Sanitary Inspectors (SI) play a crucial role in mitigation during outbreaks. Due to the lack of adequate number of Sanitary Inspectors, these inspectors are forced to handle multiple tasks at the time of the outbreak.

One of the inspectors on conditions of anonymity said to DTNext, "Usual work hours of Inspectors is from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm. But after a surge in dengue an swine flu cases we are being asked to report at 6:00 am and work till 8:00 pm."

The lack of adequate number of SIs not only taxes the inspectors that are present, it also can lead to compromise in the quality of the diagnosis and treatment to the victims.