The Jharkhand health department has asked the districts to be on alert and ensure precautionary measures in a bid to check spread of dengue, which is gradually spreading its tentacles, an official said on Sunday.
As many as eight dengue patients were undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Ranchi till Saturday, while five others have been discharged after recuperating from the disease, the official said.
"For dengue patients, we have a separate ward at the hospital and they are being given all the attention needed," Rajiv Ranjan, public relations officer of the RIMS, told PTI.
Jharkhand's National Health Mission director, Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh, issued an advisory to check spread of dengue and chikungunya. The districts have been asked to launch an awareness campaign on mission mode against the diseases.
Municipal corporations, municipalities and local administration have been directed to constitute teams and identify mosquito-breeding spots by visiting households and destroying them. The private hospitals have been asked to provide a list of probable dengue patients every month, an official release said.
A health official, however, said there was no upsurge of cases in Jharkhand right now. "Till September, as many as 1,092 samples were examined and 141 were found to be infected with dengue," the official said, adding that 220 dengue cases were registered last year.
Similarly, 1,085 samples were tested for chikungunya and 182 were found to be infected with disease. Some hospitals have been identified as sentinel surveillance hospitals, where there is a facility of free test and management of dengue and chikungunya.
There is availability of NS1 rapid test kit for probable dengue and chikungunya patients, but there is doubt on its quality, the release said. It directed to conduct tests of any possible patient in a government hospital or laboratory.
(With PTI Inputs)
