CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Meghalaya has placed health facilities and surveillance teams in border areas on high alert amid a worsening dengue outbreak in neighbouring Bangladesh, even as the State has reported no alarming rise in cases so far, Health and Family Welfare Minister Wailadmiki Shylla said.
"From the Health Department, we have directed our team, especially those situated in the border areas, to be on alert. As of now, we have not received any report or any alarming report from the border areas. We have a surveillance team travelling and taking stock of the situation," Shylla said.
He said health facilities, including PHCs, CHCs and sub-centres in the border areas, had been asked to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspected cases or unusual rise in dengue infections.
"We have our health facilities like PHC, CHC and sub-centres in the border areas. We have asked them to be on high alert. If they find such cases, they have to inform us. As of now, we haven't seen any increasing trend in Meghalaya, especially in the bordering areas," he said.
Shylla said the State was closely monitoring the situation in view of the rising cases in Bangladesh, but there had been no alarming increase in dengue cases in Meghalaya so far.
"No doubt some cases may be there, which are usually there, but as of today we have not seen any alarming rise in dengue cases, especially in view of the rising cases in neighbouring Bangladesh," he said.
The Minister said surveillance teams had been travelling to border areas to assess the situation and would continue to remain on high alert.
The heightened surveillance comes as Bangladesh grapples with a worsening dengue outbreak. According to data from Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services, at least 59 people have died from dengue and 17,880 cases have been reported in the country so far this year. Health officials recorded 753 fresh cases and three deaths in the preceding 24 hours.
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