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India: Looking For A Plan To Combat Dengue

 

 

 

# 5097

 

 

Although mosquito borne diseases have constituted a considerable heath burden in India for many years, 2010 saw big jumps in the number of dengue and chikungunya cases reported – particularly in the bigger cities.

 

The Commonwealth Games last October– which were supposed to show India in a favorable light – were tarnished by almost daily stories about dengue cases during the months leading up to the games  (see Time Magazine’s India's Commonwealth Games Mess).

 

The Indian press has carried numerous reports claiming that dengue cases are deliberately undercounted, and that agencies charged with controlling mosquitoes have failed in their duties (see Media Claim: Delhi Hiding Dengue Cases).

 

And in October, we saw a journal article (see Lancet: India's Invisible Malaria Burden) that maintained that the true mortality burden from malaria in India was more than 10 times higher than generally acknowledged.

 

Mortality and morbidity from dengue, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis are almost certainly underreported as well.

 

This constant drumbeat of negative news reports surrounding these diseases have pronounced social, economic, and political ramifications.

 

As these illnesses make inroads into more populous areas of the country, and as public awareness of the problem grows, politically they become much harder to ignore.

 

 

So the Delhi government has announced their intent to formulate some (as yet, unstated) action plan against India’s mosquito borne disease threats. The timetable for coming up with a plan is stated to be 3 to 4 months.

 

This from DNA news.

 

Centre to prepare action plan to fight dengue, chikungunya

Published: Sunday, Nov 28, 2010, 13:52 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI

Concerned over the rising cases of dengue, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis, the government has put immediate focus on development of vaccines and other actions to deal with such ailments that create widespread scare.

(Continue . . . )

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