Punjab health department starts dengue awareness campaign

The health department in Ludhiana city, in the north Indian state of Punjab, has started dengue awareness campaign under the slogan ‘Friday, Dry Day.’

The health department has tightened its belt to beat the disease before its arrival.

“Every Friday, we conduct our checks at different locations, and create awareness among people about dengue, malaria, and chikunguniya, district epidemiologist Dr Ramesh Kumar said.

He said they 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,” Dr Ramesh said.

As more than 350 cases of dengue were reported last year, Dr Kumar and his teams have already started checking larvae at different locations, according to TOI report.

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.

“Dengue is a communicable disease, as one mosquito that bites an infected patient will infect other normal people, said Dr Mandeep from Fortis Hospital.

“This fever continues for a maximum of five days, and on the seventh day, the platelets start increasing by themselves,” he informed.

He also suggested that the 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,” he added.