Continuing its surveillance on dengue across the State, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has asked its District Health Officers to focus on school environments, as children are more vulnerable to the infection.
Director of Public Health A. Somasundaram said people aged below 20 were more vulnerable to dengue. “This is why we have asked our officers to concentrate on school environments and sickness absenteeism,” he said.
The State continues to report 200 to 250 cases of dengue on average each day. “These numbers remain consistent. We have crossed 22,000 dengue cases so far this year. The situation is not alarming and has been under control so far. What we are keen on is not to miss any cases. We have also increased the number of tests,” he said. He added that 90% of cases were asymptomatic.
With the Northeast monsoon setting in, heavy rains may wash away mosquito breeding sources, but intermittent rains could potentially create favourable conditions for mosquito breeding.
“In the spectrum of dengue, the presence of mosquitoes and complications in patients are the two extremes. Measures such as fogging and spraying of larvicide are activities in between. So, what we are focusing on is source reduction at one end and patient management at the other. Source reduction measures are ongoing, while personnel are well-trained and equipped to manage patients in both government and private hospitals. Source reduction and treatment is critical to dengue control. Over the years, we have built a system for surveillance and have developed laboratories,” Dr. Somasundaram said.
Apart from these measures, the directorate is carrying out routine monsoon preparedness works, he added.
Published - October 22, 2026 12:42 am IST