Bhubaneswar: With dengue spreading to new areas, the Odisha government today asked all district collectors and industries to intensify measures to prevent the spread of viral infection even as Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram urged the Centre to send doctors to curb the menace.
"Dengue is a mosquito borne viral infection and there is no drug and vaccine for treatment of dengue. Hence, for the effective prevention of dengue outbreak prompt steps should be taken to eliminate mosquito (Adese) breeding sites," a letter to industries, district collectors and IDCO said. The letter was signed by health secretary Aarati Ahuja and industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra.
After a review meeting at the secretariat, health and family welfare minister Atanu S Nayak said the number of dengue positive cases has reached 1,109.
"Two persons have so far died of dengue," Nayak said adding of the 4,955 blood samples tested, 1,109 have turned out to be positive for dengue.
While 366 persons have been admitted at different hospitals, 200 patients have been discharged after treatment, the minister said.
The Dengue menace was acute in Keonjhar and Cuttack districts. However, the disease has not spread to other districts like Jajpur, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Balasore, Khurdha and Puri, he said.
Nayak said officials of both the health and urban development departments were working to keep the areas clean to prevent spread of the disease.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, who hails from the state, today met Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda at New Delhi and urged him to send a team of doctors and take necessary steps to curb the dengue menace.
"An epidemic like situation has arisen in Keonjhar district due to spread of jaundice and dengue. I have received reports that more than 600 people are suffering in Barbil town and its nearby areas in Keonjhar district.
"It has already affected another nine districts of Odisha and may further spread to other areas in the state. In this context, I requested Nadda to send a team of doctors to assess the situation and take remedial measures at the earliest," Oram told reporters after meeting Nadda.