Hospitals will have to follow strict clinical protocols for managing a patient with dengue. With over 1,000 cases and five reported deaths so far, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad held a meeting with senior officials of the Delhi government and civic bodies to tackle the dengue menace. The hospitals will have to keep some beds dedicated for dengue patients. In the meeting held on Thursday, it was also decided that hospitals will be asked to follow a dengue treatment protocol. “As per the protocol, the patient should be admitted only when the platelet count falls to 20,000 or if the patient shows clear manifestations of dengue,” said a senior official. As one of the measures to combat the fatal fever, it was also decided to get the overhead tanks covered in all highrise government buildings. “We have been sending advisories to chief ministers of all the states. However, with the dengue threat looming large I have also asked the urban development ministry to review the situation,” Mr Azad said. Stressing on the need for community participation, Mr Azad said that massive awareness campaigns are necessary and participation at community level will help manage the situation. He asked the officials to involve the local political leaders in disseminating awareness. Since the mosquito breeds in stored water, a lot of discussion was held on the issue of storage of drinking water in urban villages. The minister also asked the officials to explore the possibility of building cement tanks in these areas so that the people do not asked the officials to see the possibility of building cement tanks in these areas so that the people do not have to store water for drinking purposes. To ensure that things are in place, the minister decided to hold a review for next year in February itself. The minister also asked Red Cross officials to ensure that there should not be any scarcity of platelets in the city and take steps to ensure supply. The government has also proposed to increase the number of sentinel hospitals that identify and report the number of dengue cases online. “It has been planned to include the government-aided hospitals and also the charitable hospitals so that case reporting should be accurate,” the official said.
