Chennai: The state hasn’t reported any dengue deaths in the past two years although the state has recorded 2,424 dengue cases in 2023, following effective control measures, early diagnosis and treatment, health minister Ma Subramanian said on Tuesday after inaugurating the dengue awareness programme in the city.
Cases and deaths due to dengue have come down due to intensive vector control measures, early diagnosis through fever camps and intensive treatment, he said.
But the report submitted by the state’s directorate of public health to the Centre contradicts the minister’s claim. On Tuesday, the webpage of the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control showed TN recorded eight dengue deaths in 2022. This number under “Dengue Cases and Deaths in the Country since 2017” is based on the DPH’s report.
There were 4,486 cases and 13 deaths in Tamil Nadu in 2018, 8,527 cases and five deaths the following year. In 2020, when the Covid-19 cases began to increase, there were 2,410 cases. The next year, 6,039 cases and eight deaths were recorded. In 2020, TN reported 6,430 cases and eight deaths in 2022, against 2,33,251 cases and 303 deaths across India. This year’s numbers have not been updated.
“We have around two to three cases reported every day but we haven’t registered deaths,” Subramanian said after inaugurating the photo exhibition on the vector-borne disease.
Technical malathion a broad-spectrum insecticide used to control a variety of outdoor insects in outdoor settings for mosquito eradication programs was effective, he said. Senior entomologists conducted a bio-assay test where around 25 adult dengue-causing Aedes mosquitoes were packed in three, six, and nine-foot cages. While nearly 50% of the mosquitoes died in less than an hour, all of them died within a day, they said.
Cases and deaths due to dengue have come down due to intensive vector control measures, early diagnosis through fever camps and intensive treatment, he said.
But the report submitted by the state’s directorate of public health to the Centre contradicts the minister’s claim. On Tuesday, the webpage of the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control showed TN recorded eight dengue deaths in 2022. This number under “Dengue Cases and Deaths in the Country since 2017” is based on the DPH’s report.
There were 4,486 cases and 13 deaths in Tamil Nadu in 2018, 8,527 cases and five deaths the following year. In 2020, when the Covid-19 cases began to increase, there were 2,410 cases. The next year, 6,039 cases and eight deaths were recorded. In 2020, TN reported 6,430 cases and eight deaths in 2022, against 2,33,251 cases and 303 deaths across India. This year’s numbers have not been updated.
“We have around two to three cases reported every day but we haven’t registered deaths,” Subramanian said after inaugurating the photo exhibition on the vector-borne disease.
Technical malathion a broad-spectrum insecticide used to control a variety of outdoor insects in outdoor settings for mosquito eradication programs was effective, he said. Senior entomologists conducted a bio-assay test where around 25 adult dengue-causing Aedes mosquitoes were packed in three, six, and nine-foot cages. While nearly 50% of the mosquitoes died in less than an hour, all of them died within a day, they said.
