Shillong, Nov 04: A day after 18 cases of Dengue reported from Garo hills, Health Minister AL Hek said that a Rapid Response Team (RRT) led by DHS joint director R Budnah was immediately sent to the spot to review the situation.
Health Minister AL Hek said “We have sounded a dengue alert in all the district,” adding that most of the cases were reported from the West Garo hills district of the state.
Hek also stated that out of 18 cases reported, 17 of them were discharged from the hospital but are still under medication.He said that the patients affected had mild symptoms.
He said health officials have been issuing public notices to alert people about the disease and a team of medical officials from Shillong will soon come down to Tura to monitor the situation.
People have also been asked to clean and cover water storage containers, to keep their surroundings clean and improve basic sanitation measures — removing, disposing, burying or burning all unused cans, jars, bottles, tyres, coconut shells and other items that can collect and hold water.
The health department has also advised people to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants while working during the day, to sleep under mosquito nets (preferably those treated with insecticides) and use mosquito coils and repellents.
Dengue is a tropical disease. Common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and skin rash. There is no vaccine for dengue and the only way to reduce infections is to improve hygiene levels so as to prevent mosquito bites and stop mosquitoes from breeding.
It is particularly difficult to create a vaccine because the disease is caused by different viruses and there are no animal models available for testing.
The disease kills over 5,000 Indians every year, and remains a seasonal threat, particularly during the monsoon.(SP News)
