Dengue alert in MP

Bhopal, Oct 4 (UNI) In view of dengue cases in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, an alert has been sounded in Madhya Pradesh with every district collector and chief medical officer being directed to take precautionary measures.

As many as 60,000 persons are believed to be afflicted with chikungunya in 19 districts. The aedes aegypti mosquito, responsible for spreading the disease, is also a vector for dengue.

''An anti-chikungunya control room is already functioning at the health directorate. The government will seek cooperation from voluntary organisations, panchayati raj representatives, the Indian Medical Association, media, social workers, people's representatives, the Nehru Yuva Kendra, National Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme and anganwadi workers,'' Commissioner (Health) Rajesh Rajora told UNI.

Regional entomologists here, at Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior were directed to provide daily updates over telephone to the entomology directorate. District malaria control officials were told to constantly monitor the situation and provide daily updates to the health directorate.

Chikungunya infected this state across the Maharashtra border.

Symptoms are severe joint pain accompanied by fever.

''No fresh cases of chikungunya are surfacing and the situation is considerably under control. A dengue patient suffers fever of 102 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit for two to seven days. That is accompanied by severe headache, pain around the eyes, muscular and joint pain and marks on the body,'' Dr Rajora explained.

The bureaucrat said that blood samples of suspected dengue sufferers were to be forthwith sent either to the Delhi-based National Institute of Communicable Diseases or National Institute of Virology at Pune.

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