10-05-2006, 11:23 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Ramadoss says dengue media hype </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Even as the day saw reports pouring in from across the country about the spread of dengue in new regions, the Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, "No need to panic...the issue has been blow out of proportion by the media."
Obviously the Health Ministry is not even willing to concede the gravity of the situation. Ramadoss has shown the same brazenness in denying chikungunya deaths in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh even as both States have reported scores of casualty.
Raising the issue in the Cabinet on Thursday, <b>Railway Minister Lalu Yadav said that an impression was gathering that the Government is unable to contain the outbreak</b>.
The Railway Minister expressed concern after reports confirmed that even members of the Prime Minister's family were among those afflicted with the disease and admitted in All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
But instead of heeding the concerns of his senior colleague, Ramadoss retorted that the outbreak was a sanitation issue. In any case, he said, it was not an epidemic and the media had created a scare.
<b>Ramadoss' response did not satisfy the Railway Minister and the two indulged in a heated exchange</b>. Later, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told reporters that the issue was raised in the Cabinet and Ramadoss had assured everyone that there was no need to panic.
But before blaming the media, Ramadoss should have got his facts right. As many as 3,000 people have reported dengue-like symptoms across the country, out of which 700 cases are in the Capital alone. About 38 people have died from the disease.
..........
The Prime Minister's grandsons Rohan (11) and Madhav (17), and <b>son-in-law Vijay Tankha </b>have been admitted to AIIMS with high fever and other dengue-like symptoms, including body ache and rashes.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yesterday, media was saying it was his son-in-law Ashok Patnaik (from orrisa) and today Tankha (Kashmiri Pandit)
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Even as the day saw reports pouring in from across the country about the spread of dengue in new regions, the Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, "No need to panic...the issue has been blow out of proportion by the media."
Obviously the Health Ministry is not even willing to concede the gravity of the situation. Ramadoss has shown the same brazenness in denying chikungunya deaths in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh even as both States have reported scores of casualty.
Raising the issue in the Cabinet on Thursday, <b>Railway Minister Lalu Yadav said that an impression was gathering that the Government is unable to contain the outbreak</b>.
The Railway Minister expressed concern after reports confirmed that even members of the Prime Minister's family were among those afflicted with the disease and admitted in All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
But instead of heeding the concerns of his senior colleague, Ramadoss retorted that the outbreak was a sanitation issue. In any case, he said, it was not an epidemic and the media had created a scare.
<b>Ramadoss' response did not satisfy the Railway Minister and the two indulged in a heated exchange</b>. Later, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told reporters that the issue was raised in the Cabinet and Ramadoss had assured everyone that there was no need to panic.
But before blaming the media, Ramadoss should have got his facts right. As many as 3,000 people have reported dengue-like symptoms across the country, out of which 700 cases are in the Capital alone. About 38 people have died from the disease.
..........
The Prime Minister's grandsons Rohan (11) and Madhav (17), and <b>son-in-law Vijay Tankha </b>have been admitted to AIIMS with high fever and other dengue-like symptoms, including body ache and rashes.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yesterday, media was saying it was his son-in-law Ashok Patnaik (from orrisa) and today Tankha (Kashmiri Pandit)