PUBLIC HEALTH and Family Welfare Minister Ajay Vishnoi today said the State has demanded Rs 50 crore from Centre as assistance to tackle effectively the outbreak of chikungunya. It has also demanded setting up of viral-testing laboratory in the State. The State lacked adequate resources to tackle the disease that might continue for the next four years or so, he added.
Talking to newspersons here tonight after attending a meeting of various states’ health ministers in Delhi, Vishnoi said initially Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr A Ramdoss agreed to give Rs 2 crore. Later, on return of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh from abroad, the Centre would consider the State’s demand, he added.
Quoting WHO’s Dr Saleem, who also attended the meeting, Vishnoi said the virus of chikungunya was not fatal. Dengue, of course, was more dangerous than chikungunya.
He said Madhya Pradesh was the least affected by chikungunya in comparison to other states of the same size. In MP, about 53,000 cases had been reported out of which 43,000 cases were reported from Chhindwara, Betul, Burhanpur and Badwani alone, he added.
He said all the states were of the opinion that their health departments were not in a position to fight the disease alone. Assistance from people, civic bodies and gram panchayats was also badly required to tackle the menace.
{{/usCountry}}He said all the states were of the opinion that their health departments were not in a position to fight the disease alone. Assistance from people, civic bodies and gram panchayats was also badly required to tackle the menace.
{{/usCountry}}The Centre, Vishnoi informed, had agreed to provide as many as 50,000 mosquito nets and 10 kits for pathological test for chikungunya. With the help of these kits, 2000 tests were possible. He said kits for testing dengue were available with district hospitals and medical colleges in the State.