Pvt. Sector Creating Fear About Dengue: Minister

Family Welfare minister Dr. D L Ravindra Reddy on Friday accused private medical practitioners of "creating fear and hype" about dengue fever among the masses.

Talking to reporters after the inauguration of the Arogya Health Exhibition at Exhibition Grounds, Ravindra Reddy said that dengue, chikungunya and other viral diseases can be cured with the Indian system of medicine. He said that being an allopathic medical practitioner himself, he believes that dengue is not as dangerous as it is being projected by the private sector. He added that dengue can be easily cured if it gets noticed in the first two stages. It proves lethal only during the third stage of the disease, he stated.

Ravindra Reddy said that only one person had died of dengue in Andhra Pradesh even though several cases were reported from the state.

However, he admitted that there was an increase in the number of dengue cases compared to last year, and said the reasons for the increase should be probed in order to take precautionary measures.

He also suggested that the services of nearly one crore women's self help groups be utilised to create awareness about sanitation and cleanliness to prevent the outbreak of diseases like dengue. (INN)