Patna, Oct. 26: The rising cases of dengue and the death of a youth suffering from it have rung the alarm bell for the government.

The state health department has directed all medical colleges and government hospitals to take up dengue cases on priority basis. The blood banks have been put on alert. The stock of blood units would be monitored online.

In cases of dengue, platelet count in blood comes down quite sharply. Patients require immediate administering of blood.

Health department principal secretary Vyasji said: “We are taking precautions but there is nothing to panic right now.” On the other hand, civic bodies across the state have been asked to conduct cleanliness drive. Fogging has been intensified at places where suspected dengue cases have been reported in large numbers.

Additional health secretary R.P. Ojha said: “A large number of suspected dengue cases have been reported from Bhagalpur, Samastipur, Nawada and Begusarai. The civic body authorities in all these districts have been asked to intensify fumigation drives with focus on overall cleanliness measures.”

“In the past 30 days, the health department has received 251 suspected dengue cases. Of them, as many as 100 were actually down with the disease. But only one official death has been reported till now,” said Ojha.

A youth who went to Lucknow from Patna last week died in the UP capital last night. Sources in the health department said the government was not treating the lone case of death as an isolated one as the roots of the disease could well be in the state.

Ojha added that dengue treatment did not require any speciality as a patient can be admitted to any government medical college and even primary health centres (PHCs) could take good care of a patient. All the PHCs and medical colleges have been supplied dengue test kit.

To contain the disease from spreading to other parts of the state, the health department has decided to conduct an awareness drive. Through posters and handbills, people would be made aware of the symptoms of dengue and preventive measures to be taken against the disease.

The health department posters state that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes usually bite in daytime.

To stop breeding of Aedes aegypti mosquito, water should be flushed out at regular intervals from refrigerators, water coolers, water pots and other utensils used for storing water.

The posters also mention that the symptoms of dengue are headache, body pain and joint pain and red spots on skin.

Apart from symptoms, the posters also mention about the preventive steps a person has to take against dengue. They recommended use of mosquito nets, mosquito repellents and cream.

Moreover, if a person has symptoms such as headache, body pain, joint pain and others accompanied by high fever he/she must immediately rush to the nearest health centre. Use of paracetamol has been directed in cases of high fever rather than using aspirin tablets.