Bengaluru: In response to the alarming rise in dengue cases across the state, the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) department has established a ‘Dengue War Room’ at Arogya Soudha for monitoring and surveillance. This initiative aims to manage and control the dengue outbreak efficiently.
The Health Department has mandated the establishment of a control room and a dengue war room in every district and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to monitor the dengue situation closely. These war rooms will collect data and information on dengue cases. A task force, chaired by the District Collector, will oversee the daily management of the situation. The Principal Secretary of the Health Department has issued a circular requiring weekly meetings to review dengue control efforts and provide necessary guidance for local management.
Patients showing symptoms of dengue fever must be monitored for 14 days. Health personnel are required to submit comprehensive details of each patient to the State Dengue War Room using a prescribed form. Additionally, health personnel and ASHA workers are instructed to conduct Aedes larva surveys and destroy breeding sites every 15 days in homes, schools, colleges, and offices within their jurisdiction. ASHA workers employed in urban and town areas are to receive an honorarium of 200 rupees per day from their respective local bodies.
The BBMP is tasked with identifying dengue hotspots in the districts and reporting these details to the state dengue war room. Measures such as activating fever clinics, distributing anti-mosquito neem oil, and providing mosquito nets to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families are to be implemented. The required grants for these activities should be utilized according to ARS/ABAKR-K rules, with district and taluk panchayats expected to allocate additional funds for health centers.
District and taluk hospitals are required to reserve a minimum of 5 to 10 beds for dengue patients, ensure the availability of necessary medicines, and identify hotspots where more than two cases are reported in the same location. Public awareness campaigns about dengue prevention and control are also being emphasized. In the wake of the increasing dengue cases, the school education department has directed teachers to maintain cleanliness on school premises and monitor students for symptoms of dengue fever.
The severity of the outbreak was highlighted by the recent death of an 11-year-old girl, Shreya Dhavadate, from Sankeshwar in Belgaum district, due to suspected dengue fever. Shreya, a resident of Ananta Vidyanagar town, had been suffering from high fever and vomiting for four days before succumbing to the illness.
As of Thursday, the health department confirmed 381 new dengue cases, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 8,221. This surge in cases underscores the urgency and importance of the measures being implemented to control the outbreak.
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