10-14-2006, 08:27 PM
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--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Dengue not a dreaded disease: Hota
[ 14 Oct, 2006 1929hrs ISTPTI ]
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CHANDIGARH: Even as dengue continues to claim many lives across the country, Union Health Secretary Prasanna Hota on Saturday claimed it is not a "dreaded" disease and said the number of those affected by it was far less than previous years.
"It is not a dreaded disease. This year the deaths have been less," Hota told reporters after inaugurating National Institute of Paramedical Sciences at PGIMER.
Asked about the situation in the wake of increasing number of dengue cases at many places across the country, Hota, who was flanked by PGIMER director K K Talwar, said this year only 4,000 cases had been reported so far and the figure has been as high as 10,000 to 12,000 in the recent past.
He said though there was a lot of media attention this time around, there was nothing to panic.
"The nature of virus (causing dengue) is milder this time. The media attention is so much which makes the problem look bigger," he said adding that more and more people were going to hospitals because of increased awareness.
On the issue of making a Veterinary doctor head of the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, he said Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had taken the decision in "anger".
"The Minister felt angry as no CHS cadre doctor was prepared to go there (to Kasauli)," he said justifying the appointment of K R Mani as the Director of the Institute.
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Dengue not a dreaded disease: Hota[ 14 Oct, 2006 1929hrs ISTPTI ]
RSS Feeds| SMS NEWS to 8888 for latest updates
CHANDIGARH: Even as dengue continues to claim many lives across the country, Union Health Secretary Prasanna Hota on Saturday claimed it is not a "dreaded" disease and said the number of those affected by it was far less than previous years.
"It is not a dreaded disease. This year the deaths have been less," Hota told reporters after inaugurating National Institute of Paramedical Sciences at PGIMER.
Asked about the situation in the wake of increasing number of dengue cases at many places across the country, Hota, who was flanked by PGIMER director K K Talwar, said this year only 4,000 cases had been reported so far and the figure has been as high as 10,000 to 12,000 in the recent past.
He said though there was a lot of media attention this time around, there was nothing to panic.
"The nature of virus (causing dengue) is milder this time. The media attention is so much which makes the problem look bigger," he said adding that more and more people were going to hospitals because of increased awareness.
On the issue of making a Veterinary doctor head of the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, he said Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had taken the decision in "anger".
"The Minister felt angry as no CHS cadre doctor was prepared to go there (to Kasauli)," he said justifying the appointment of K R Mani as the Director of the Institute.