News Analysis India

Tag: UP dengue cases

  • Uttar Pradesh: Two more deaths due to dengue, toll climbs to 60

    By PTI

    FIROZABAD: With two more fatalities due to dengue in Uttar Pradesh, the death toll due to the viral fever in the district rose to 60 on Monday, officials here said.

    Additional Director, Health, Agar Divison, A K Singh said that a 14-year-old girl died in a medical college, while one child was brought there dead.

    After the death of the girl, her sister squatted in front of a vehicle of Divisional Commissioner Amit Gupta but later somehow administration officials managed the situation.

    ALSO READ | Centre asks states to stress on acceleration of prevention activities for vector diseases like dengue

    Meanwhile, District Magistrate, Chandra Vijay Singh said that keeping in view cognisance of newspaper reports regarding overcharging by pathologies, he has issued guidelines regarding rates to be taken.

    Firozabad, around 50 km from Agra and 320 km from Lucknow, has been battling an outbreak of dengue and deadly viral fever for the past three weeks now, with most of the victims being children.

    Some cases have also been found in neighbouring Mathura, Agra and Mainpuri, according to the officials.

  • Amid dengue and viral fever cases, UP launches door-to-door drive to combat vector-borne diseases

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: In order to combat water-borne diseases spreading with the receding floodwaters, the UP government launched a statewide surveillance drive from Tuesday. Under the drive, health officials will conduct a door-to-door survey to identify people with viral fever, Covid symptoms, and other diseases arising out of the seasonal vagaries.

    Uttar Pradesh has been in the grip of vector-borne diseases like dengue and viral fever which have claimed hundreds of lives so far in different districts with Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Mathura, Kanpur, Agra, Gonda, being the prominent ones.

    On the other, around 66 teams of NDRF and SDRF along with Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been kept on high alert 24X7 across the sensitive flood-prone districts to minimize the impact of swollen rivers. These teams are working round the clock to mitigate the impact of floods in affected villages.

    To tackle the menace of vector-borne diseases, including viral fever and dengue, COVID-19 dedicated beds equipped with oxygen have been reserved for the treatment of inflicted patients.

    ALSO READ | UP exports up by 152.67% in April-May this year, ranked sixth among major exporting states

    According to health officials, arrangements have been made for additional beds, doctors, paramedical staff, medicines, and other equipment in the hospitals. In this regard, a 100-bed hospital has been ready in Shikohabad municipal area in Firozabad district which has been the worst affected so far.

    Moreover, to tackle the spread of infection, CM Yogi Adityanath has issued directives to health authorities against admitting unnecessary patients in the OPDs/IPDs of hospitals.

    “Make sure patients’ health updates are given to the family members at regular intervals. Patients and their relatives should be contacted through the CM Helpline too,” CM Yogi told the dealing authorities.

    The health teams have also been directed to spray anti-larva medicines and undertake fogging drives in the areas where more than one dengue patient is found.

    People are being sensitized to take precautionary measures and check mosquito breeding in and around their houses.

    Meanwhile, the state government has appointed nodal officers in every district to monitor the relief work in the areas affected by floods and heavy rains.

    Directives have been issued to ensure the supply of pure drinking water and distribute chlorine tablets in the flood-affected districts. Till now, around 22 lakh tablets of chlorine have been distributed in flood-affected areas.

  • CM Yogi Adityanath seeks improved surveillance in UP districts battling dengue outbreak

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asked officials to improve surveillance in Firozabad and other districts battling outbreak of dengue and viral fever that has claimed over 50 lives.

    Adityanath also announced that the government has moved forward to increase the honorarium of anganwadi and Asha workers in the state.

    “Effective arrangements should be made in Firozabad, Mathura, Agra and other districts to check the spread of dengue and viral disease. Surveillance should be made better and distribution work of medical kits should start,” the chief minister said while addressing a meeting here.

    ​ALSO READ | Viral fever in Firozabad: Central team says majority cases of dengue, a few of scrub typhus

    He said, in Shikohabad (Firozabad) a 100-bed hospital is ready and it could prove beneficial for those living in nearby areas.

    “Additional beds, medicine, paramedical staff, doctors, medicines have been made available there and if need it can be further increased,” he said.

    He said unnecessary crowd should be avoided in OPDs and family members of patients should be given health updates and ‘CM helpline’ should also reach out to them.

    In Firozabad, dengue and viral fever have claimed 51 lives so far.

    Last week, three Firozabad doctors were suspended on charges of laxity.

    Firozabad’s Chief Medical Officer Neeta Kulshresth was also removed following the spate of deaths, mostly children, since August 18 due to the viral fever and suspected cases of dengue.

    ​ALSO READ | Dengue outbreak: Firozabad administration releasing Gambusia fish that eat mosquito larvae in ponds

    The chief minister had visited the district on August 30 to take stock of the situation.

    At the meeting, the chief minister also said ‘corona curfew’ should be between 11 pm to 6 am in view of the improved Covid situation.

    “Officials should ensure that all markets are closed by 11 pm,” the chief minister said.

    At present, the markets remain closed between 10 pm and 6 am.

    Addressing a gathering after launching the ‘National Nutrition Month 2021’, Adityanath said, “When during Corona pandemic, people isolated themselves in their homes, these anganwadi and Asha workers provided medicines by reaching out to people in villages and did a wonderful job. Without their help it would have been difficult to control the situation.”

    “Keeping in mind their good work, the government has decided to increase their honorarium and has also moved forward in this direction. The department is preparing a plan in this regard. I have also asked to pay their dues, if any, immediately,” he added.

    On the occasion, Governor Anandiben Patel and the chief minister inaugurated 529 anganwadi centres in the state and honoured workers with a certificate and shawl.

    “Anganwadi centres should have their own building, we have put it in priority of our government. This should be taken forward as a campaign,” the chief minister said.

  • Dengue, viral fever now spreading to eastern UP following rains, floods

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: After playing havoc in Firozabad and Mathura and other adjoining districts, the menace of dengue and viral fever is now expected to expand to eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh in the aftermath of widespread rains and floods.

    After floodwaters of Ganga and Yamuna receded in the Sangam City of Prayagraj, the place has now become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. So far, around three dozen cases of dengue have been confirmed in the city with 22 in urban areas and 12 in rural areas. Of these, more than a dozen patients have been discharged while the rest are being treated at different government and private hospitals.

    According to the health authorities, the situation in Prayagraj was under control and no casualty due to dengue or viral fever was reported so far. “There are no deaths due to dengue as of now. Isolation wards are available at hospitals for the treatment of dengue patients and medicine had also been arranged for.

    Along with this, the blood banks have also been asked to be ready if platelets are needed and people are being made aware of the importance of cleanliness. They are being asked to check mosquito breeding in and around their houses to keep dengue at bay,” said Additional CMO Dr Satyendra Rai.

    ALSO READ | ‘Mystery fever’ spreads to other districts in UP, experts call it vector-borne ‘scrub typhus’

    He claimed that a survey of 200 houses had been conducted in the Govindpur area of Teliarganj, where mosquito larvae were found in 80 houses.

    A total of 9,000 mosquito nets had also been ordered in the district for below poverty line cardholders, he added.

    According to a government report, 497 cases of fever were reported in Uttar Pradesh during the last 24 hours. Of this, dengue has been confirmed in 409 cases while the remaining 66 cases are suspected and, in 22 cases, the cause behind fever is not yet clear.

    After Mathura, Firozabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Basti, and Meerut districts, there is a concern over the spread of dengue in Prayagraj. But experts said it was an all-weather infection and nothing new.

    Meanwhile, the state government has decided to reserve beds equipped with oxygen facilities and dedicated to COVID-19 patients for the treatment of viral diseases including dengue.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued instructions to authorities concerned to make sure that patients received the best of treatment, and that there was no dearth of medicine and other medical equipment.

    Besides, the state authorities would be launching sanitation and cleanliness campaigns across the state from September 5 to curb the threat of water and vector-borne diseases.