Dimapur, Oct. 23 (EMN): The medical authorities of Dimapur have issued an advisory to citizens to take precautions against what is understood to be an outbreak of dengue in the commercial town, one of the most polluted and unclean urban centres in Nagaland.
The medical department has appealed to the citizens to ‘take responsibility’ and keep their surroundings clean and dry. They are advised to wear clothing covering the whole body during the day.
Dr. K. Vikato Kinimi, chief medical officer of Dimapur, issued the advisory on Monday.
“These simple measures can assist the department in preventing and controlling the further spread of dengue fever in the district,” the note explained.
“Do not panic if your RDT Test (card test) for dengue is positive. Dengue can be confirmed only with ELISA test which is conducted free of cost at the Sentinel Surveillance Site Laboratory (SSSL) at district hospital Dimapur,” the authorities stated.
Also, private laboratories are requested not to declare card tests positive as dengue; they are to send the sample to SSSL for confirmation.
“Fogging kills only one generation of mosquitoes whereas mosquitoes hatch every day. Fogging is carried out during the early hours or late in the evening in the district which the public may not be aware of,” the note stated. To prevent and control dengue, it stated, fogging is not the only solution.
‘The best way to prevent and control dengue is by destroying mosquito breeding areas and preventing mosquitoes from breeding,’ it added.
