Dengue sting worries residents, authorities

As the tricity reels under a dengue outbreak, with 622 people testing positive, the authorities as well as residents are a worried lot. While officials from the Health Department and the Municipal Corporation say they are doing their best to control the epidemic, local residents blame scanty preventive measures by the authorities for the spread of the disease. Tribune correspondent Charu Chhibber speaks to the top brass of the health and municipal authorities and a cross-section of tricity residents to know their stance on the situation.

Officialspeak

Fogging increased from four to six times

We have increased fogging from four to six times a day. We have also placed an order for another machine, which will come in three days. Then we will be able to conduct fogging activity nine times a day. We have issued stringent guidelines to our staff to ensure proper cleanliness. We also have an online complaint system where any resident can lodge a complaint and we will initiate immediate action. —Rajesh Dhiman, MC Commissioner, Mohali

Public cooperation must 

Awareness is being created to check the spread of the disease, but public cooperation is a must to achieve good results. Our teams are visiting areas from where cases are being reported and conducting checking in houses of each affected locality. We are creating awareness about the disease in the assembly at schools. Field activities are being conducted. On September 14, we had a meeting with the Mohali DC wherein an action plan was created to control the spread of the disease. —Dr Ranjit Kaur Guru, Civil Surgeon, Mohali

Daily fumigation being carried out   

With the onset of dengue season, the Malaria Wing of the Health Department, UT, has geared up field activities for prevention and controlling dengue. The major source of breeding has been found to be coolers and in-house containers. It was also observed during the field analysis that the cases of dengue are isolated cases and there is no clustering. To further strengthen the preventive activities, daily fumigation is being carried out, along with strengthening of field activities. —Dr Vanita Gupta, Director, Health Services, UT

Special sanitation drives   

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is carrying out special sanitation drives. The MC is regularly holding coordination meetings with officials of the UT Health Department and also sharing reports with each other. Directions were already issued to sanitary department officials to regularly hold sanitation drives. Starting tomorrow, special sanitation drives will be conducted on a daily basis. —B Purushartha, MC Commissioner, Chandigarh

Teams working round the clock  

We are conducting fogging and anti-larval activities in all areas. Haripur and Ghutanpur have been made larva-free. Our teams are working round the clock in several areas, including Rajeev and Indira Colonies. Sectors 14-15 will be made larva-free in a day. We have covered several other sectors as well as Kalka. It is important for residents to realise that 90 per cent of the preventive measures begin at home. —Dr VK Bansal, Chief Medical Officer, Panchkula

MC’s malaria wing short-staffed

MC’s malaria wing is not well-equipped and is short-staffed. So, we are assisting health department’s malaria wing in its fogging drive, which is very effective. —Lalit Siwach, MC Commissioner, Panchkula  

Residentspeak

Have a city-specific study   

Every year, the tricity faces dengue threat. Why can’t we have a city-specific study on dengue by an expert team from the PGI or the GMCH-32 to identify the main reasons behind the epidemic? It will help prevent the outbreak over the coming years and save precious lives. —Amritpal Singh, Phase IV, Mohali

Lack of preventive measures   

Lack of preventive measures before the outbreak by the Health Department, MC and residents is to be blamed for the situation. No efforts from the authorities will prove useful unless residents do not take the reins in their own hands and vow to take preventive steps. Having said that, the authorities need to pull up their socks, too. Just the other day, I witnessed an incident in the nearby locality. The fogging machine sent by the authorities as an emergency measure was defunct. Such attitude will cost everyone dear. —Reena Gupta, Phase IV, Mohali

Gaps in how situation is being handled   

I have been following the news of the dengue outbreak ever since it first hit the headlines. Though the authorities have been claiming all is under control, I see gaps in how the situation is being handled by officials concerned. Take for instance the case of Sector 20. Till date, I have not seen a single fogging activity in our area.  —Swarn Singh, Sector 20, Chandigarh

Knowledge proves helpful   

I read in the newspaper the other day that health officials have been trying to conceal the actual number of dengue cases. I ask why? If, as a city resident, I do not know that I’m susceptible to the disease that has gripped my town in its cruel jaws, how will I guard myself against it? In my opinion, knowledge proves helpful as it creates awareness. Had it not been for awareness of the disease - thanks to extensive media coverage these days – which is dubbed by health officials as negative, many people like me would procure a few paracetamol and antibiotic tablets to treat any sort of fever, which might prove dangerous in case of dengue. —Garima Sharma, Sector 35, Chandigarh

Admn fails to sustain follow-up  

The problem is that the civic administration swings into action only after the newspaper headlines scream ‘epidemic’. For once, they go all out with disease-control efforts, but fail to sustain the follow-up, which encourages the rogue mosquito to proliferate effortlessly. If the authorities fail to follow-up on the preventive measures they have started taking, dengue will claim a lot of lives. —Sachin Dhall, MDC, Panchkula

Conduct sustained awareness campaigns  

The dread of dengue has returned to haunt tricity residents despite a bagful of assurances and promises from the health authorities calling for ‘no panic’. The main reason behind the spread of dengue is the negligence of local authorities in managing disease-prevention initiatives. The administration should conduct sustained awareness campaigns. —Tara Negi, Sector 11, Panchkula