Vector-borne diseases: Jain reviews preparedness

NEW DELHI: To review the preparedness of the civic bodies and the hospitals to combat swine flu and other vector borne diseases, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain chaired a meeting on Tuesday. He asked the civic officials about the updated numbers and also asked to cooperate with the department.

The minister inquired in the meeting about the situations of the hospitals and if they are following the guideline or not. Earlier, the minister instructed the private hospitals to increase 10-20 per cent beds for the patients of vector borne diseases. Jain also instructed the government hospitals to be prepared with extra beds to deal with situations.

According to the government report, nearly 320 cases of Swine Flue were recorded in Delhi this year. Among these people, two casualties were reported.

The death percentage in Delhi was 0.63 per cent as per the report. Significantly, nearly 23% deaths were recorded in Gujarat due to Swine Flue, followed by Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The government has started putting up advertisement for public awareness in the metro, buses, newspapers and FMS to combat the vector borne diseases.

A source in the government said that the minister has also asked the department officials regarding the progress of the campaign and how many advertisement has been put up till date.