Chandigarh: With the onset of the monsoon, Health Minister Arti Singh Rao has urged people to remain vigilant and actively participate in preventing the mosquito-borne disease. The Haryana Health Department has also intensified its preparedness against dengue.
Launching the campaign slogan, “Let’s Stop Dengue Together,” she appealed to citizens to observe July as ‘Anti-Dengue Month’ and ensure that water does not stagnate in and around their homes.
The Cabinet Minister said dengue is transmitted through the bite of the Aedes mosquito, which primarily bites during the daytime and breeds in clean, stagnant water. She urged citizens to take social responsibility seriously and advised residents to observe ‘Dry Day’ every Sunday at home and every Friday in offices by emptying and drying water containers, coolers, overhead tanks, refrigerator trays, flower pots and trays beneath them for at least 24 hours to destroy mosquito eggs and larvae.
She also urged people to keep overhead water tanks covered, dispose of unused plastic items, old tyres and coconut shells before the monsoon, fill potholes around houses with soil, wear full-sleeved clothing and use mosquito repellents or insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
Highlighting the state’s healthcare facilities, the Health Minister said platelet transfusion services are being provided completely free of cost at every district civil hospital in Haryana. She added that 27 government dengue testing laboratories are operational across district civil hospitals, where dengue tests are conducted free of charge.
To regulate private healthcare providers, the Cabinet Minister said all private laboratories have been directed to conduct ELISA-based NS-1 and IgM dengue tests at a maximum charge of Rs 600. Citizens can avail these government facilities by contacting their respective Chief Medical Officer (CMO) or District Malaria Officer.
The Minister also urged people to remain alert to dengue symptoms, including sudden high fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pain, and pain behind the eyes that worsens with eye movement. She advised anyone experiencing such symptoms to immediately visit the nearest health facility for a free blood test. She cautioned people against self-medication and stressed that medicines should be taken only on the advice of a qualified doctor.
The Minister said that keeping Haryana free from dengue requires collective responsibility and active public participation.
