'Take 650 mg Paracetamol To Cure Dengue', Says Uttarakhand CM As 4800 Cases Reported Across State

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has prescribed people to take 650 mg Paracetamol tablets instead of the usual 500 mg to cure dengue.

The CM while addressing a press conference said, “Dengue is far from acquiring epidemic proportions in Uttarakhand. Consuming 650 mg paracetamol and taking some rest cures one of the disease.”

He also claimed that only six dengue deaths have been reported in Uttarakhand and it is being made out that there is an epidemic in the state.

“Aisa bhaukaal bana diya hain jaise mahmari ho (Such an environment has been created if it is an epidemic).” The latest comment landed the CM in a fresh controversy with Congress terming the statement as “irresponsible and highly objectionable.”

He blamed the media for creating a conducive environment for private doctors and path labs where people are spending in lakhs, whereas the same treatment was available for Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 in government hospitals.

However, the Director General of State Health Services, Dr R K Pandey, on September 24 said that the total number of dengue cases reported in the state this year reached 4,800. More than 70 per cent of the cases were reported from the Dehradun alone. The number of cases indicates a potential threat for the city-dwellers, as they are witnessing the highest number of dengue cases the city has seen in the past few years. As of now, there have already been six dengue deaths, which is the highest in four years. Data revealed by the director general (health) shows that Dehradun and Nainital are the worst-affected districts this year. Until September 23, Dehradun saw 2768 cases whereas, Nainital recorded 1189 cases.

Dr Pankaj Singh, Assistant Director (Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme), Health and Family Welfare department said that there is no need to panic seeing the number of dengue cases this year. He said since there was a good reporting on dengue this year by the health department, the number seemed high. He said last year there were only two centres for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but this year, the state has five.

While the incessant rains and flooding in the state are blamed for the spread of the mosquito-borne disease, lack of flooding operation in the locality has

Also Read: Dengue Outbreak In Delhi: 280 Cases Reported In A Week ,Know The Symptoms And Precautions