No need to panic on dengue: Anbumani briefs Cabinet

New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet colleagues on dengue and chikungunya stating there was no need to press the panic button or declare dengue as an epidemic.

Giving a presentation at the weekly Cabinet meeting, chaired by Dr Singh, Dr Ramadoss said the measures taken by the states at the instance of his Ministry had resulted in successfully checking the spread of the disease.

''The situation is very much under control'' as the number of dengue cases was restricted to 600-700 this season and was not in thousands as it had been feared initially going by the experience of previous years, the Minister reasoned.

Putting the dengue toll at 15, Dr Ramadoss said about 200 patients from other states had been admitted in various hospitals in the capital.

After the Cabinet meeting, the Health Minister rushed to Kerala, where cases of chikungunya have been reported, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters.

The Prime Minister gave a patient hearing and did not intervene in the presentation, Mr Dasmunsi said while replying to questions.

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