Apparently trying to downplay the present dengue scare in Odisha, the Director of Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar on Thursday said that the situation is well under control in the State.
“Despite the Twin Cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack reporting a spike in dengue cases, the overall situation in the State is under control and people should not panic,” said Dr Laxmidhar Sahu, Director of Capital Hospital.
Speaking on the health infrastructure to tackle the vector-borne disease, he said, “We have enough beds at the Capital Hospital to tackle any eventuality arising out of Dengue.”
He said at present around 60 dengue patients are getting treatment at the Capital Hospital. The hospital has a total strength of 100 dengue beds. No Dearth Of Beds To Treat Dengue Patients: Top Health Official said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Capital Hospital had tested 115 blood samples for dengue in the last 24 hours out of which 50 samples came positive for the disease.
A high-level meeting was held yesterday in which the preparedness was reviewed. “Blood platelets are in demand now. With the rise in cases, the demand for platelets may increase. So we need to be ready with advanced machinery and kits,” he said.
Reiterating the importance of creating awareness on the disease among people, Sahu said there should not be any problem if people kept mosquitoes at bay. “People should use mosquito nets while sleeping and not let water accumulate around their houses,” he said.
The female Aedes mosquito bites in the morning, so if possible, people should try to use mosquito nets in the morning too. Keeping the dengue scare in mind we have earmarked more money for purchase of machinery and kits to be used in future, he said.