Dengue Outbreak: Siddaramaiah Nudges Senior Officials To Act Quick

Karnataka is going through crippling dengue cases, with the state’s capital, Bengaluru, being the worst hit. Amid the  raising dengue concerns, chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, criticised the senior officials and held them accountable for the dengue spike saying, “If deputy commissioners feel they are maharajas, development and progress won’t be possible.”

During the review meeting, the chief minister also demanded quick action to defeat the outbreak. The meeting was attended by deputy commissioners (DCs), chief executive officers (CEOs), and district in-charge secretaries.

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With more than 7,362 cases and seven fatalities since January this year, Karnataka has been on high alert for the past few days. Bangalore Rural MP and former director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research C.N. Manjunath last week asked the Karnataka government to declare dengue as a “medical emergency” in the state. He also urged the state to take affirmative action to control mosquito breeding.

During the press conference, Manjunath slammed the health ministry for not taking adequate steps, saying that the government is faltering on fighting mosquitoes. He also demanded the government form a task force to do enough to control the viral infection, while cautioning that dengue can also bring other injections, threatening overall public health.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also accused the government of inefficient handling of the infection. However, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, reacting to the demand to declare dengue spike a “health emergency,” said that the present situation in the state does not need a call for declaring a medical emergency.

Addressing the concern, the minister said that surveillance activities have been increased, noting that there is no shortage of beds or medicines. While acknowledging the surging cases, he added they held a meeting with the technical advisory committee, who suggested that “there is no need to declare a medical emergency.”

The neighboring state of Kerala is also facing a surge in dengue cases with the arrival of the monsoon. According to reports, the state witnessed over 1,000 infections in the last 10 days amid heavy rainfall.