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Visit private hospitals, labs to check dengue cases: PMC tells MSI personnel
Following the failure to notify vector-borne disease cases, the PMC health department on Thursday issued letters to private hospitals and laboratories to daily notify dengue and other notifiable diseases diagnosed or treated at their facility.
PUNE
Despite the reported dengue outbreak in the city, the official Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) records reveal that just 63 cases were reported from January 1 to August 26, casting doubts about the data’s veracity.
Officials believe that the majority of private hospitals and pathology laboratories are failing to report dengue cases as they arise.
“Dengue is a notifiable disease which must be reported to the government health department. However, some hospitals and pathology labs are not notifying the cases,” noted Dr Sanjeev Wavare, assistant medical officer of PMC.
Following the failure to notify vector-borne disease cases, the PMC health department on Thursday issued letters to private hospitals and laboratories to daily notify dengue and other notifiable diseases diagnosed or treated at their facility.
Dr Wavare said it is a regular practice every year that we issue letters to private facilities and doctors to notify us of notifiable disease cases including vector-borne disease cases.
“In the absence of the notification, there is a delay in containment activity of the vector-borne diseases which is likely to cause an outbreak. Also, the cases remain unreported, and the authorities are unaware of the grassroots situation in the city,” he said.
“The Malaria Surveillance Inspectors (MSI) have been asked to conduct regular visits at private labs and hospitals in their jurisdiction. With the advent of the rain, the city has begun to report an increase in vector-borne disease cases, albeit official figures remain low. The MSI can check the record if the cases of notifiable disease are reported to PMC. If the private hospitals and Labs are not supporting us, we have the mechanism to check it,” said a senior doctor on condition of anonymity.
