MADURAI: Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) said that there 18,000 dengue cases in Tamil Nadu.
Talking to reporters on Saturday, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine TS Selvavinayagam said more than 100 dengue cases get reported every day in the state and 18,000 cases have been registered so far.
Pointing out that one needs to look at this number in comparison with the state’s entire population of 80 million, he said the number is much lower than the expected figure due to preventive steps and it is not alarming.
People have a vital role in tackling vector-borne diseases because transmission is happening around houses, Selvavinayagam said, adding that the flight range of mosquitoes is just 500 metres and many times people are source creators.
“During the monsoon, vector-borne diseases will rise and we are monitoring all the districts. But because of the surveillance, we were able to pick up cases earlier and take preventive measures for stabilising the cases,” he said.
Selvavinayagam said they have an idea from which area and from where cases come from because they are doing vector surveillance which could help initiate preventive measures.
As regards malaria, he said the DPH has identified 33 districts where no indigenous cases are found. Limited number of cases are found in a few districts and officials are monitoring the cases but no mortality has been reported.