Will take several steps on dengue control, school students to be involved: Delhi CM Kejriwal

Amid a spurt in dengue cases in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said a plan has been devised to combat the vector-borne disease.

In coming days, several steps will be taken and school students will be involved in a big way in the efforts made to check the spread of dengue, he said.

The chief minister said this after holding a meeting with senior officials of the health department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and other departments.

400 infected with Dengue in Delhi

Delhi has registered a huge spurt in dengue cases in the last couple of weeks, raising the tally of the vector-borne disease to nearly 400 till September 17 this year.

Over 100 people were diagnosed with the infection in the period from September 9-17. According to a civic body report released on Monday, 152 dengue cases have been reported in this month alone till September 17.

After the meeting, Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, "The rainy season spell has lasted longer this time. Dengue threat can increase. Today, sitting with officials of the health department, MCD, NDMC, and other departments, a plan has been devised. In the coming days, several steps will be taken. School students will be involved in a big way."

The city had recorded 295 dengue cases till September 9. Out of the 396 total cases recorded till September 17 this year, 75 were reported in August. No death due to the disease has been reported so far this year.

Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, sometimes stretching till mid-December. Civic officials said dengue cases were recorded earlier than usual this year due to weather conditions that are congenial for mosquito breeding.

Dengue is caused by the bite of aedes agypti mosquito and its larvae breed in clear water in leftover cups, pots, tires, flower pots, open utensils carrying water, and water coolers, among other items.

As per the action plan against dengue, 35 hospitals have been identified for early diagnosis and supportive treatment, and notification of each case is being done.

As in past years, the Delhi government would seek the assistance of RWAs to implement preventive and curative measures against dengue, the city government said in a statement later. All RWAs have been asked to go door-to-door in their respective areas to raise awareness and encourage people to follow the recommendations in order to protect their families from dengue.

The DMs, SDMs, Tehsildars, and other officers would visit their respective districts to carefully enforce the dengue prevention programmes, it said.

CM orders preventive measures

During the meeting, Kejriwal also directed the employees to rigorously adhere to the dengue prevention measures.

"Every Saturday, officials will inspect construction sites and hospitals where there is a high likelihood of waterlogging and will take appropriate measures if the recommendations are not followed by those responsible. In this context, orders have been issued to not allow any form of negligence in hospitals," the statement said.

Other stakeholders are nominating a nodal person for dengue prevention initiatives in their organisations, it added.

The Delhi Jal Board has been directed to ensure regular water supply and prompt cleaning of water bodies, while the irrigation & flood control department has been directed to promptly fix faulty water lines, if any, officials said.

Case-based monitoring and quick response is being done by the departments. And, reporting by government and private health facilities is being done, the statement said.