Dengue rears its head, 8307 cases already reported across the country

 Monsoon may have only set in recently for large parts of the country but the disease people associate with it the most, seems to have had an early start. According to the National Vector Borne Control Programme, as of June 28, cases of dengue in 2016 are already 8307 in number, with 10 deaths overall.

Most cases so far have occurred in Kerala, 2,753 in all, while Karnataka is close behind with 1,664 cases. Maharashtra has 973 reported cases and Delhi, which saw near epidemic levels of dengue last year with 15,867 cases, has, fortunately, only 28 so far. How the situation changes, with rains reaching the capital, remains to be seen.

The union health ministry has, seems to be scrambling to prevent a situation similar to that of 2015, where 99,913 cases of and 220 deaths by dengue were recorded. The union health minister JP Nadda has been holding high-level meetings April onwards to review the country's preparedness. Health Secretary BP Sharma held on with all the states in March, directing them to make dengue a notifiable disease. In a meeting on July 1, the ministry announced that the number of of Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals (SSHs) has been increased to 527 till date. It has also released a strategy draft on strengthening community participation as "one of the most important elements of the Integrated Vector Management (IVM) strategy".

The ministry has also taken to technology and social media to spread awareness and about the disease and of preventive measures. It launched an app called India Fights Dengue to carry out the campaign for Intensive Behaviour Change Communication, ie for changing long entrenched habits in people that lead to accumulation of waste and stagnant water inside and outside their homes.

As July, the designated Anti-dengue Month rolled around the corner, the twitter handle of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare began tweeting incessantly about the campaign, asking people about their mosquito killing habits, aerosol and repellent use, etc. So far deaths have been seen in Kerala, 5, Tamil Nadu, 3, and Maharashtra,2.

aradhna.wal@dnaindia.net