Berhampur, Aug. 28: The district administration and health department officials have launched a dengue awareness programme in view of an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease.

“We have undertaken special programmes to sensitise the public against dengue in Ganjam district,” Lalit Mohan Rath, additional district medical officer, public health, Ganjam, said.

Rath and malaria preventive officer Umakanta Mishra and other senior officers of the health department are monitoring the situation.

“A dengue and chikungunia special ward opened at MKCG Medical College and Hospital to treat dengue and other vector-borne diseases on August 6. So far, 12 patients from different parts of Ganjam have been admitted in the special ward and five of them have already been discharged,” said a hospital source.

Six of them are under treatment in MKCG, while Nilamadhab Tripathy, a resident of ward No. 17 in Aska Notified Area Council (NAC), has left for Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh for better treatment, the source said.

The six patients who are still under treatment include Kanhu Charan Bishoyi of Meenakshi Nagar in Berhampur, Balaram Das of Hinjilicut, Trinath Swain of Aska and Rajat Kumar Rout of Pitatali.

Kishen Kumar, Ganjam collector, who is also a physician, has asked people not to panic. Kumar visited MKCG Hospital recently to enquire about the health of the patients in the dengue ward. He has instructed the staff of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation, NAC and panchayats to conduct awareness programmes in their zones.

“We have formed a team at the grassroots level consisting of one anganwadi worker, a member of a local NGO and members of self-help groups. The team will make door-to-door visits to sensitise the public against dengue,” Kumar said. At Hinjili, the NAC staff would coordinate with each and every councillor. “I have asked the officials of the health department to spray mosquito repellent oils in drains to contain mosquito breeding.”

The collector has also directed health department officials of the corporation to take immediate steps to disinfect all the water bodies in Berhampur and take other sanitary measures. He has asked the deputy commissioner and the corporation’s health officer to monitor the sanitation and the water treatment programme. He has also asked all block development officers to review the dengue and chikungunia situation every fortnight and present a report to the district administration and the chief district medical officer.

Control rooms have been opened at all the community health centres.

“We are giving blood transfusions to patients with low platelet count,” said one doctor. “We have the necessary kits to examine vector-borne diseases and prescribe medicines,” Ashok Behera, superintendent, MKCG Hospital, said. Mosquito nets have been provided to all the patients, he said.

“Dengue is transmitted through an Aedes mosquitoes that is infected with the virus. The mosquito becomes infected with dengue virus when it bites a person who has dengue or dengue hemorrhagic fever. After about a week, the mosquito can transmit the virus when it bites a healthy person. Dengue cannot spread directly from person to person,” said Subhakkanta Das, corporation’s health officer.

The principal symptoms of dengue are high fever, severe headache, backache, joint pains, nausea and vomiting, eye pain, and rash.