As many as 89 cases of dengue have been reported so far this year, as against 80 in the whole of last year. Madurai: With a notable uptick in mosquito-borne illnesses and viral fevers this month, Madurai corporation has scaled up its containment strategy in the city. The civic body, in coordination with public health officials, are executing widespread vector control interventions to curb proliferation of larvae and prevent outbreaks of dengue, malaria, and chikungunya .
D Balaji, a professor in Madurai, said awareness needs to be spread in rural areas to cut down mosquito breeding. “The rise in cases during rainy months indicates that standing water in puddles and within private properties needs to be removed, rather than undertaking only fogging,” he said, pointing to areas like Thiruparankundram, Alanganallur and Usilampatti. “There is an expected rise in reports of viral fever and dengue this month,” said a senior health department official, adding there is no concentrated outbreak of viral fever or dengue, as cases are spread across the city. “We receive around one case of dengue and around 10 to 15 cases of viral fever every day,” said dean Arul Sundaresh Kumar.
The city’s rain deficit has allayed fears of fever spreads, but activists warned against complacency. District administration officials say there is no major cause of panic. Government Rajaji Hospital has established special vector-borne fever wards fitted with protective mosquito netting. He added that cases come from other southern districts as well. Health inspectors stationed at PHCs continue to closely monitor fever trends across wards, ensuring that despite a marginal rise in viral infections, transmission remains scattered without localized disease clusters.