Central health team visits dengue affected areas in Orissa

Talcher (Orissa), Aug 15 (ANI): As death toll due to dengue fever rises to 10 in Orissa, a three member central team surveyed through Talcher district to assess the ground situation in the region.

The team led by joint director of vector-borne disease control programme, Kalpana Barua, visited several villages in the district.

They first met district health officials at Talcher Central Hospital, after which they visited Ananta coal mine work shop and other dengue-infested villages.

"We have visited some of the places of mining areas and also some villages.

Presently, out of the number of cases coming up, they have also been checked. Some of them have recovered, and few deaths have been reported.

We have also demonstrated the probable sources where vectors can breed and showed to the villages how they can do it. So now time is to do this operation actively with help of villagers and health staff. It can be made into control," Bhagirathi Diwedi, Senior Research Officer at Bhubaneshwar Medical Research Centre.

During the visit, the team found that there were several places where dengue mosquitoes were breeding.

Team's head, Kalpana Barua said since there is no cure to dengue, efforts are now being made to take adequate steps to curb the spread of dengue.

"There is dengue transmission in the region. We have found several breeding places. Fogging is taking place but some more initiatives need to be taken.

There is need to increase awareness in the community. Dengue can be contained only if the community gets together. Dengue mosquitoes breed in accumulated dirty water and if that is taken care of by the villagers like covering water and with other such measures, then it would be possible to contain the Dengue outbreak. There is no drug for Dengue till now, only prevention of Dengue mosquito from spreading is the way," said Barua.

The villagers expressed their disappointment over the delay in response by the Health Ministry.

"All this is farce and is just for show. It would have been better if they had spread awareness before the outbreak. Now they are just spraying medicines," said Chaitanya Mallick. (ANI)