The Andhra government is all set to make dengue a “notifiable disease” according to a report in the Hindu.
This means that all suspected cases of the disease have to be mandatorily reported by government and private hospitals as well as laboratories.
Acting on a request from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the state government has issued a GO (government order) in this respect and will publish the gazette notification on August 28.
As per the gazette notification, dengue has turned into a major public health concern in India with several cases being reported in Andhra Pradesh, especially from Anantapur, Chittoor, Prakasam, Visakhapatnam, Krishna, Guntur, and Nellore districts, the report says.
There is no specific vaccine for dengue and the best way to check the spread of the disease is prevention through early diagnosis.
To ensure early diagnosis, the gazette notification states that healthcare providers should notify every case to the District Medical and Health Officer and the Municipal Health Officers on a daily basis.
NTR University of Health Sciences Vice Chancellor T Ravi Raju told The Hindu that the government would be in a better position to tackle dengue after the issuance of the gazette notification as all suspected cases have to be notified to the authorities concerned and added that an effective strategy can then be drawn up to control mosquito breeding.