14,077 dengue cases reported in India till June this year: MoS Health to Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: A total of 14,077 dengue cases have been reported in the country till June this year against 13,580 cases in the corresponding period of 2021, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.In 2021, a total of 2,05,243 cases of dengue were reported in India, she said in a written reply, adding that the number of cases stood at 44,585 in 2020 and 1,93,245 in 2019.

Responding to a question on precautionary steps taken by the government to prevent the spread of dengue this year, the minister said the Centre has taken several measures for prevention and control of the disease.

Listing the measures, she said the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC) had issued nine advisories between March 23 to June 30 to states/UTs for detection and control of outbreaks, preparedness and capacity building to take effective vector control, involvement of non health sector, ensuring logistics to be in place such as drugs, diagnostics, insecticides, equipment and for filling up the vacant positions of entomologists.

Trainings have been imparted to doctors on case management and to entomologists on integrated vector control from March to July at central and state level, Pawar said in the written reply.

To accelerate pre-monsoon preventive activities and community sensitisation, National Dengue Day (May 16, 2022) and anti-dengue month (July, 2022) have been observed across the country.

She also told the House that Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed vector borne diseases, including the dengue situation and preparedness of 13 states/UTs, on July 8 with state health ministers.

Besides, free diagnostic facilities through 769 sentinel surveillance hospitals and 17 apex referral laboratories have been made functional and 1.92 lakh IgM tests have been provided by the government.

NCVBDC provides technical guidelines for the prevention, control and management of dengue cases in states and Union territories (UTs), the MoS said.

Under the National Health Mission, budgetary support is provided to states and UTs for dengue control activities such as dengue case management, vector control activities (provision of domestic breeding checkers, insecticide, fogging machines), training support, awareness activities, among others, she added.