Dengue not yet an epidemic: Delhi Govt

NEW DELHI: Refusing to push the panic button yet on the spread of dengue the Delhi government on Tuesday said there was no need to declare it an epidemic as of now.

Taking stock of the situation, a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday decided to intensify the anti-dengue drive, including issuing instructions to schools and asking every minister to ensure the disease does not spread in their respective areas.

"There is no need to panic and we are not declaring it an epidemic yet," Health Minister Yoganand Shastri said after the meeting.

Shastri said the number of dengue cases reported has come down as compared to the last few days, however, adding that the disease was still spreading very fast in the capital.

He said while 497 cases of dengue have been reported so far, the number of deaths due to the disease stood at 11.

It was also decided in the meeting that school children of all Delhi schools will have to go to school wearing full sleeve shirts and the necessary instructions were being issued to the principals.

Earlier, Shastri held a meeting of the concerned officials to review the situation, where it was decided that the district health officers will be held responsible if the disease was not brought under control and strict action will be taken against them if there were any lapses on their part in tackling the situation.

Shastri said the awareness campaign on preventing the spread of the disease will also be intensified.