The Vijaywada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is conducting a survey to assess the situation that has arisen in the city due to a large number of people rushing to hospitals with viral fever and symptoms of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya.
Over the last ten days, Times of India (TOI) reported that private hospitals are finding it increasingly difficult to handle the “huge number of fever cases coming to them.” According to TOI, viral fever cases have particularly been rampant in low-lying areas of the city because of floods in the Krishna River. Residents around Ramalingeswara Nagar, Ayyappa Nagar, Ranigari Thota and Krishna Lanka areas are taking the maximum brunt.
The civic body, which till recently had been claiming that there were no cases of mosquito-borne diseases in the city, has now directed its health wing to remain alert and take all possible measures to handle the alarming situation.
Many locals complained that they were spending huge amounts of money for treatment at private hospitals. “All five members of my family have high fever. To avoid long queues in health centres we have come to a private clinic. Mosquito menace is rampant in Ramalingeswara Nagar,” said Lakkoju Maruti, a local resident.
The health wing of VMC seems to have taken note of the issue and has started to conduct a door-to-door fever survey besides collecting blood samples from suspected vector-borne disease patients. Special medical camps have been held in Ayyappa Nagar, Vambey Colony and Ranigari Thota areas. Nuthalapati Sridhar, zonal commissioner of VMC, said authorities were trying their best to deal with the situation as “cases of fever are on the rise in the city after floods.”
“We have noticed hundreds of such cases. We have screened all fever cases and are trying to provide better treatment. No dengue cases have been registered in the city till date. Some private hospitals are just creating an atmosphere of panic whenever platelet count decreases in the patients. We request patients to get Elisa test for screening of dengue,” he was quoted as saying.
The vector-borne diseases department has been directed to take up fogging every alternate day after Chief medical officer Arjuna Rao and health officer Iqbal monitored the sanitation in affected areas.
TOI had earlier reported that a single visit to the hospital is costing viral fever-affected people hefty amounts between Rs 3,000-Rs 4,000.
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