Health dept taking measures to prevent infectious diseases: Ma Su

CHENNAI: The State Health Department is undertaking various measures to prevent the spread of dengue and monsoon infectious diseases such as diarrhoea and typhoid in Tamil Nadu, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Tuesday.

He said that mosquito control activities are being undertaken along with the cooperation of local bodies. "Infectious diseases are being controlled in Tamil Nadu with a series of activities like creating awareness, identifying fever cases, taking immediate preventive measures in places where fever cases are identifying and conducting medical camps," he said.

The department has 3,920 government hospitals and 2,000 private hospitals engaged in identifying daily fever cases. The department also prepared area wise lists in respective districts, when the fever cases are identified, and source reduction work is undertaken immediately. Around 21,000 temporary healthcare staff have been deployed to carry out mosquito reduction activities in coordination with the local bodies," he said.

Although the incidence of dengue has decreased this year compared to last year in Tamil Nadu, steps have been taken to accelerate preventive measures at the district level as the spurt of dengue cases might be reported due to the Southwest monsoon.

"Government hospitals have been advised to keep adequate stock of life-saving drugs, blood cells, testing kits, blood components and blood required for treatment. In collaboration with the State Health Department, the local bodies are carrying out the work of identifying potential mosquito breeding places and removing unwanted mosquito-producing materials such as tire plastic cups, coconut husks, etc. in public buildings, government offices, restaurants, parks," the minister said.

Indian medicine immunity boosters such as neem water and papaya leaf juice are also made available at all primary health centres. As many as 15,853 fogging machines to prevent mosquito breeding and 80,992 litres of insecticides have been stocked.