Observe every Friday as 'dry day' to contain dengue: Amritsar district admn

Amritsar, November 9

The district administration has announced to observe every Friday as “dry day” to tackle the problem of dengue and directed them to take strict action against those from the premises of whose houses or buildings dengue larvae are found.

Stating this during a meeting held here on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner Harpreet Singh Sudan directed the officials of the Health Department to observe every Friday as “dry day”. Praising the employees of the health, MC and other departments, he said this time, cases of dengue were largely under control than previous years. He instructed the officials concerned for weekly spray of disinfectants in the affected areas and asked the Education Department to educate students in schools about the symptoms and prevention of dengue.

Civil Surgeon Dr Charanjit Singh said 230 cases of dengue had been reported in the district so far, of which about 80 cases were from Baba Bakala sub-division. He said teams were constantly checking for dengue larvae and issued 170 challans, which were the highest in the state. He said the civil hospital, Guru Nanak Medical College and Ajnala hospital have special laboratories for dengue testing, where free testing is done. He appealed to district residents to get check-ups and receive treatment in government hospitals in case of fever.

District Malaria Officer Dr Madan Mohan said dengue mosquito breeds in clean water. Therefore, it is necessary that residents should ensure that water storing utensils are cleaned regularly and rainwater accumulation should also be avoided. Water in coolers, pots or bottles must be replaced every week.

He said dengue mosquitoes are larger than usually found mosquitoes and have stripes on their body. These bite at dawn or dusk and are usually found at cooler places. Telling about symptoms of dengue, he said patients report high fever and eye pain. About the treatment he said only paracetamol is prescribed and other medicines should be avoided. He suggested patients must take liquid diet.

Cabinet Minister down with dengue

Cabinet Minister and Jandiala Guru MLA Harbhajan Singh ETO (in pic) tested positive for dengue on Wednesday. The minister has been admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. Meanwhile, the total number of dengue cases reported from the district has shot up to 248. The district health officials stated that a majority of the cases were being reported from Baba Bakala subdivision. As the number of dengue cases is increasing, the Deputy Commissioner, Harpreet Singh Sudan, held a meeting with health officials to take stock of the situation. He ordered the officials to ensure all efforts to contain the spread of the disease. The health officials stated that a total of 2,370 persons had been issued challans after larva was detected on their premises. Health experts have appealed to the public to check mosquito breeding in their homes and nearby places.