Over 150 dengue cases reported in Tripura, CM chairs review meeting

Amid rising dengue cases in Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday chaired a high-level to assess the prevailing situation in the state, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) informed through a press release.

Further, in a Facebook post, CM Saha wrote, "Dengue fever has been reported in a few places, including Dhanpur, in the past few days. The health department is aware of the matter and has taken all necessary measures. A meeting was held today with health officials at the Secretariat to review all aspects related to the impact of dengue."

At a press conference later on Friday, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, Debasish Basu, informed that the chief minister assessed the present situation with regard to cases of dengue fever at the review meeting, which was also attended by Chief Secretary JK Sinha.

Basu said, "In Dhanpur, dengue fever has been reported since July 13, and these cases are suspected to have migrated from Bangladesh. Since then, the health department has taken various steps to prevent further spread of this vector-borne disease. We have deployed doctors, paramedics, and other health workers in Dhanpur to intensify efforts to contain the spread of dengue."

"Additionally, we have assigned a gynaecologist to look after pregnant women. As of August 1, there were approximately 157 confirmed dengue cases, with 41 reported in the last two days. Around 35 patients are admitted at GB Pant Hospital, with one in the ICU," he added.

Basu informed further that he, along with the medical superintendent of GB Pant Hospital, spoke with the patients and their family members.

"We have sufficient logistics, including over 1500 ELISA kits in stock. An amount of Rs 2 lakh has been sanctioned from NHM to procure more ELISA kits and other required items are also available in adequate numbers," Basu added.

He informed further that the health department has taken several measures, such as massive fogging and declaring the upcoming Sunday as a dry day to clear stored water.

"Additionally, there has been an increase in the deployment of health teams in Dhanpur," he was quoted as saying in the statement.