No attempt to underplay Dengue cases in Delhi: MCD

New Delhi, Oct 17 (UNI) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi today denied that there was an attempt on its part to underplay the number of dengue cases in the capital.

Refuting reports appearing in this regard in a section of the press. Municipal Commissioner Ashok Kumar Nigam said, that the MCD was the nodal agency to which all the hospitals, nursing homes and doctors were statutorily bound to inform the occurrence of Dengue and death due to the disease. The information received from all the institutions is recorded on a regular basis,'' he said.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing the ongoing anti-Dengue operations and the sanitation Drive by the Corporation, Mr Nigam said the confirmation of dengue death was done on the basis of serology test of the patient, presenting symptoms and other diseases from which patient had been suffering. ''If patient's presenting signs and symptoms, serology confirm recent infection of Dengue, haemotocrit value and platellete counts suggest that death has occurred due to Dengue, it is declared as confirmed Dengue death,'' he said.

Mr Nigam informed that till today, 1637 confirmed Dengue cases had been reported from various hospitals of Delhi. Out of these, 1035 patients were from Delhi and remaining 602 patients had come to Delhi hospitals for treatment from neighbouring states.

Denying media reports that the MCD started its activities for control of Malaria and Dengue late, Mr Nigam said that these activities started as early as February this year.

In the beginning of year, training programme for various field staff, laboratory staff and hospital doctors, workshops of Zonal Deputy Health Officers/Deputy Municipal Health Officers, inter-sectoral coordination meeting involving various departments like Education, Engineering, Horticulture, Environment&Management Services, Government of India and Delhi Government were organized to update the knowledge and skill of field staff, doctors and health officers and to sensitize and motivate to enlist their participation in prevention of mosquito breeding for prevention of Dengue.

These activities started in the month of February and continued during the month of March, April, May and June and are still continuing. Workshops were organised specially for the contractors of Engineering Department, Nodal Officers of various Government offices, educational institutions and RWA officials for taking regular preventive measures in their premises for control of Aedes mosquito breeding which transmits Dengue.

Since it is the responsibility of occupier of the building to prevent mosquito breeding in their premises as Aedes mosquito breeds in domestic and peri-domestic artificial collection of clean water, rallies of school children and RWA meetings are being held regularly. At times, when educative message did not motivate people to take preventive measures, prosecution action was taken or legal notices were issued for causing mosquito breeding or creating mosquitogenic conditions. This year breeding was detected in 59,364 premises. 24,538 persons were prosecuted and legal notices were issued to 39,986 persons for causing mosquito breeding.

Mr Nigam said the MCD intensified its containment programme since beginning of September this year. Saturdays and Sundays were declared working days for all Health staff. Indoor fogging operation gained momentum with the help of hand operated fogging machines. At present, on an average 370 hand operated fogging machines are being used daily. 12 departmental fogging vans are in operation for outdoor fogging which have been augmented by hiring three private fogging vans. The priority is given to the area from where Dengue positive cases or high density of mosquito breeding is detected.

The MCD had employed 1100 domestic breeding checkers in the month of July, 2006. Additional, 835 domestic breeding checkers have been engaged and powers have been given to Deputy Commissioners to engage additional manpower of 1565 staff as per their requirement.

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