DENGUE: Dengue is caused by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito.  Aedes is a day biter i.e. it bites during the day time. These mosquitoes usually breed in clean water collections in containers, tanks, disposable junk material such as discarded buckets utensils tyres flower pots etc. All such containers should be emptied regularly, atleast once a week to stop breeding of these mosquitos.   Dengue can present as Dengue Fever (DF) or Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)/ Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS)

1. Dengue Fever:       

Signs and Symptoms of Dengue Fever:

a.    Abrupt onset of high fever

b.    Severe frontal headache

c.    Pain behind the eyes which worsens with eye movement

d.    Muscle and joint pains

e.    Loss of sense of taste and appetite

f.     Measles-like rash over chest and upper limbs

g.    Nausea and vomiting

Signs and Symptoms of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)/ Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS)

a.    Symptoms similar to dengue fever

b.  Severe continuous stomach pains

c.  Skin becomes pale, cold or clammy

d.  Bleeding from nose, mouth & gums and skin rashes

e.  Frequent vomiting with or without blood

f.   Sleepiness and restlessness

g.  Patient feels thirsty and mouth becomes dry

h.  Rapid weak pulse

Activities for Dengue:

1.  Early Diagnosis and Prompt Treatment (EDPT)

2.  Vector Control

1.  Early Diagnosis and Prompt Treatment (EDPT):  Early diagnosis of a suspected case of Dengue is very important to decrease morbidity and mortality due to Dengue. A physician/ medical officer can suspect a fever case to be a suspected case of Dengue by recognizing the signs and symptoms of the disease. Laboratory confirmation of a suspected case can be done by Ig M Mac ELISA test for Dengue which is done free of cost at 10 Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals throughout Punjab as identified by GOI. The testing kits are supplied free of cost by GOI from NIV (National Institute of Virology) Pune. From 2011, as per recommendations of GOI, testing with NS1 Ag ELISA kits has been started at these SSHs in Punjab for early diagnosis of dengue in initial stage of infection.

LINKAGE OF SENTINEL SURVEILLANCE HOSPITALS

Treatment is provided free of cost to all the patients of Dengue at all the Health centres throughout the State of Punjab

Activities Undertaken for Management and Control of Dengue:

1.            Control Rooms have been established at the State level and all the district headquarters to collect & give any information regarding vector borne diseases and to provide necessary information to the public regarding Vector Borne Diseases.

2.            Rapid Response Teams have been constituted in all the districts of Punjab at the district and sub-divisional level to provide prompt medical relief to the patients suffering from Vector Borne Disease & Water Borne Disease.

3.            Blood Component Separators have been installed in all the 20 districts of Punjab for management of serious cases of Dengue.

4.            Aphresis Machines have been installed in 6 districts namely Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Sangrur and SAS Nagar for management of severe cases of Dengue.

5.            IEC activities had been undertaken and will be undertaken throughout the State. Month of June will be celebrated as “Anti-Malaria Month” and the month of July will be celebrated as “Anti Dengue Month”. The IEC activities will continue throughout the transmission season of dengue.

6.            Do’s and Don’ts for management of Dengue, as issued by GOI.            Annexure IV

7.            Guidelines for treatment and management of dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever have been circulated to all the districts. Annexure V.

8.            State Task Force: State task force/ State Monitoring Committee has been established under the chair of Chief Secretary, Punjab for intersectoral coordination and reviewing the prevention, control and management of vector borne diseases throughout the State. Similarly District level monitoring committees have been constituted under the chair of respective Deputy Commissioners for intersectoral coordination for prevention, control & management of vector borne diseases.

9.            Public Advisories are issued regularly in the newspapers as follows:

                                                      i.        To sprinkle burnt oil in the stagnant water.

                                                    ii.        To keep the water pots covered.

                                                   iii.        To keep over head water tanks tightly covered.

                                                   iv.        To prevent stagnation of water in the broken bottles, flower pots, buckets, tyres etc.

                                                    v.        To use mosquito nets, Mosquito repellent oils & creams etc.

OTHER VECTOR BORNE DISEASES:

Chikungunya:

First case of Chikungunya was reported from Punjab in Ferozepur in 2010. The case was an imported case of Chikungunya (from Delhi). The information was sent to GOI and the case got treatment at New Delhi.

Kala Azar:

First imported case of Kala Azar (Imported from Samastipur, Bihar) was reported from Govt. Medical College, Amritsar. The case was treated as per guidelines received from GOI. The case was discharged after cure and went back to Bihar. Information was sent to GOI.

Japanese Encephalitis

 The vector control measures undertaken for control of Malaria and Dengue help in control of breeding of the vectors of these diseases.

 FUNDS NVBDCP (NRHM)

 FUNDS NVBDCP (PLAN SCHEMES)