Telangana ramps up seasonal disease preparedness, Health Minister orders heightened vigilance

With the onset of monsoon, Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha conducted a meeting here on Monday to assess the State’s preparedness in preventing seasonal diseases and strengthening public health measures.

During the meeting, Director of Public Health Ravinder Naik briefed the Minister on the prevailing situation concerning seasonal illnesses including dengue, malaria, chikungunya, diarrhoea and typhoid. He presented district-wise data on reported cases and outlined the preparedness of government hospitals, availability of medicines and diagnostic kits, mosquito control activities, fever surveys and ongoing awareness campaigns.

The Minister said public health remains the government’s priority and stressed that preventing outbreaks should be the Health Department’s primary focus rather than merely treating patients after infections spread.

He instructed that all government hospitals across the State should remain fully prepared with adequate stocks of medicines, diagnostic kits, ORS packets and platelets, besides ensuring the availability of medical personnel and emergency services. He also directed officials to ensure that every patient presenting with symptoms of fever, dengue, malaria or other seasonal illnesses is tested promptly and provided immediate treatment.

Calling for intensified mosquito control measures in coordination with the Municipal Administration and Panchayat Raj Departments, he stressed the effective implementation of the weekly ‘Dry Day’ programme every Friday.

The Minister also asked officials to pay special attention to high-risk locations such as villages, urban localities, schools, hostels and construction sites. He directed Accredited Social Health Activists and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives to undertake door-to-door awareness campaigns and educate residents on preventive measures against seasonal diseases.