Hospitals, schools being checked every Friday for dengue larvae

LUDHIANA:

Dengue season

is now almost upon us, and the health department has tightened its belt to beat the disease before its arrival. As more than 350 cases of dengue were reported last year, district epidemiologist Dr Ramesh Kumar and his teams have already started checking larvae at different locations. Every Friday, the teams check different hospitals, schools, and other places. This time, they checked 23 hospitals under the anti-larvae scheme. During those checks, three hospitals were found guilty, as the team discovered larvae in their coolers, which they destroyed by larvicide spray. The health department has started a campaign under the slogan ‘Friday, Dry Day’.

“Every Friday, we conduct our checks at different locations, and create awareness among people about dengue,

malaria

, and chikunguniya. We distribute pamphlets and posters, so that people become aware of the symptoms of these diseases, and take preventive steps beforehand. We also give warnings to hospitals to keep their area free of larvae,” said Dr Ramesh.

Meanwhile, health teams checked the premises of Chawla Nursing Home, Preet Scan Centre, Hunar Eye Hospital, Rama Charitable Hospital, BL Kapoor Hospital, Ratan Hospital, Harcharan Nursing Hospital, CMC Hospital, Bindar Hospital, Kakkar Hospital, Vardhman Hospital, GK Hospital, SPS Hospital, Raghunath Hospital, Kiran Hospital, Pawha Hospital, Lifeline Hospital, Gurdev Hospital, Mediways Hospital, Dhuri Hospital, and Mittal Hospital. Officers who checked these hospitals advised patients not to take medicines like Brufen and

Aspirin

during dengue.

“This time, we are seeing 3-5 cases of dengue, and three cases of malaria every day, and these were found more among youngsters in the age of 20-25 years. People don’t need to panic, but they should keep checking their platelets which should not go down below 30,000. They should also keep themselves covered with full-sleeved clothes. We organize camps in gurdwaras and temples to make people aware of dengue, and also advise their relatives and neighbours,” said Dr Gurparkash Singh Sandhu from Raghunathan Hospital.

“Dengue is a communicable disease, as one mosquito that bites an infected patient will infect other normal people. This fever continues for a maximum of five days, and on the seventh day, the platelets start increasing by themselves. Patients must take care of things like there should be no bleeding via gums, stools, or in vomitings. If a patient is found bleeding, he or she should immediately contact a doctor. Patients are strictly advised to avoid painkillers, hard-to-digest food, toothbrush with hard bristles etc. Instead of this, they should take liquid or semi-solid diet, citrus fruits, glucose, etc,” said Dr Mandeep from Fortis Hospital.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.