High-Level Meeting Convened
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda chaired a high-level meeting to assess Dengue prevention and control preparedness in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The meeting included key officials such as Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh (Delhi Health Minister), Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava (Union Health Secretary), Shri Raja Iqbal Singh (Mayor, MCD), and Smt. Sunita Dayal (Mayor, Ghaziabad).
The discussion focused on reviewing the epidemiological situation, readiness of municipal bodies, hospitals, and state governments, and identifying gaps in surveillance, case management, and vector control, particularly in light of excessive rainfall and prolonged monsoon.
Current Dengue Situation
A presentation briefed the Health Minister on nationwide dengue trends:
- 2024: 2,33,519 cases, 297 deaths
- 2025 (till Aug 31): 49,573 cases, 42 deaths
- Delhi (till Aug 31, 2025): 964 cases (compared to 1,215 last year)
- NCR States: Uttar Pradesh – 1,646 cases, Haryana – 298, Rajasthan – 1,181
Shri Nadda noted that current dengue incidence is low but urged vigilance given waterlogging and heavy rains.
Key Directives from the Health Minister
- Preparedness and Hospital Readiness
- Maintain dedicated wards, sufficient beds, blood components, diagnostics, drugs, and insecticides.
- Alert Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals (SSHs) and other public/private hospitals.
- Ensure Rapid Response Teams are on standby for immediate action.
- Vector Control and Surveillance
- Intensify source reduction, remove or treat rainfed containers post-flooding.
- Conduct insecticide fogging in areas with rising fever cases.
- Strengthen entomological and fever surveillance to identify hotspots.
- Inter-Sectoral Coordination
- Engage municipal bodies, railways, local government institutions, disaster management, public health engineering, irrigation departments, NGOs, and state health departments for effective sanitation and vector control.
- Community Engagement and Awareness
- Scale up IEC campaigns under “Jan Chetna through Jan Bhagidari.”
- Conduct awareness drives in schools, labor camps, RWAs, and dengue-prone areas.
- Leverage youth clubs, SHGs, market associations, and community leaders.
- Case Reporting and Monitoring
- Ensure timely reporting of cases on IHIP-VBD from all hospitals, including private ones.
- Conduct daily district-level review meetings to monitor outbreaks and responses.
National Strategy for Dengue Control
The meeting reviewed the National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Dengue (‘Octalogue’), based on eight pillars:
- Surveillance
- Case management
- Vector management
- Outbreak response
- Capacity building
- Behaviour change communication
- Inter-sectoral coordination
- Monitoring & supervision
The Government of India has already issued advisories, conducted high-level reviews, organized case management training, provided free diagnostics, promoted community awareness, and ensured financial support under NHM.
Attendance
Officials present included Dr. Sunita Sharma (DGHS), Shri Pushpendra Rajput (JS, MoHFW), Shri Partha Saarthi Sen Sharma (UP Health), Shri Nikhil Kumar (Delhi Health), Dr. Tapasya Raghav (Delhi Health), secretaries of urban development in Delhi and Haryana, Dr. Tanu Jain (NCVBDC), Dr. M Srinivas (AIIMS), commissioners of Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, CEO of Noida, and hospital representatives from Safdarjung, RML, and LHMC.
