The Health department will focus on reducing dengue mortality in the State rather than the surge in case numbers, which is a cyclical, annual phenomenon.
District-level health facilities will be strengthened. Adequate training will be imparted to doctors and health workers so that unnecessary referrals to medical colleges can be avoided. When a large number of dengue cases reach medical colleges, the crowding upsets regular functioning of the hospital, affecting the quality of care rendered to patients, Health Minister Veena George said here.
She was addressing the media after chairing a review meeting called at the State-level to analyse the infectious diseases situation in districts.
All districts have been asked to strengthen surveillance as well as preventive and control measures against infectious diseases and a monitoring cell will be set up at the State-level to assess and coordinate activities happening at the district-level, she said.
Ms. George cautioned again about the dangers of resorting to self-treatment and said special attention should be given to children in case they developed fever symptoms
She spoke of the need for coordinated action at the grassroots level and between various departments to ensure that medicines, test kits, and other consumables were available in all health-care institutions.
Ms. George said the State had developed definitive protocols for the management of dengue and leptospirosis and that health workers in the private health sector should be adequately trained in delivering these protocols. She said discussions would be held with the Indian Medical Association and the Indian Association of Paediatrics on Wednesday to discuss the situation.
Ms. George said the Health department, as part of its Arogyajagratha campaign, had started pre-monsoon activities in April itself but that source reduction had to be a long and sustained affair with the full participation of people from the grassroots level for it to be effective.
She said indoor vector breeding sources in households were plenty and that these were a prime source for infection. Steps were also being taken for targeted fogging in localities to reduce the population of infected mosquitoes .
Hospitals had to ensure that dengue patients were kept under mosquito nets so that the disease did not spread in hospitals
In the case of leptospirosis, Ms. George said consuming doxycycline prophylaxis as directed by the Health department would certainly reduce the risk of infection. She said in most cases of leptospirosis deaths, the disease worsened after several days of the patient feeling ill yet not seeking proper medical attention on time.
As influenza cases also seem to be on the rise during the season, it would be preferred that the elderly, pregnant women and those with chronic diseases wore masks. Children should not be sent to school if they had fever.
The State Mission Director of the National Health Mission, Director of Health Services, Director of Medical Education, and senior health officials participated in the review meeting.
