30-Fold Rise in Dengue Cases Worldwide in Last 50 Years: Shripad Naik

India contributed to 19 per cent of the total dengue cases in the South East Asian Region (SEAR) in 2013, the government noted. Minister of state for Health Shripad Naik informed the Rajya Sabha that the worldwide dengue incidence has risen 30-fold over the past 50 years. "As per the World Health Organisation (WHO) data for SEAR of which India is also a member country, out of the total dengue cases of the region, India contributed 11 per cent in 2011, 20 per cent in 2012 and 19 per cent in 2013," Mr. Naik said.(Can Papaya Plant Leaves Cure Dengue?)As per the data furnished in the Upper House, out of the total 39,89,35 dengue cases in SEAR in 2013, 75,808 cases were from India. "Yes. As per the WHO global strategy for dengue preventive and control (2012-2020), worldwide dengue incidence has risen 30-fold over the past 50 years," the Minister said. He said that the government has approved a plan by committee of secretaries which has been sent to states for implementation for prevention and control of the disease.

The new national guidelines for clinical management of dengue fever has been developed and shared with different states, the minister said. He said that the number of Sentinel Surveillance Hospitals (SSH) with laboratory support has been increased to 499 across the country while test kits are provided to these institutes through National Institute of Virology (Pune) free of cost.

(Effective Vaccines for Dengue in Near Future)

The Minister said that the government also issues regular advisories to the states and in 2015, advisories were issued from Union Health Minister to all Chief Ministers, union health secretary to all chief secretaries and DGHS to all state health secretaries. He said that periodic reviews too are conducted by the Ministry to take stock of preparedness and respond to emergency situations.PreventionDr. Shikha Sharma, a nutritionist and dietician advises, “You can light camphor inside your home and apply neem oil all over your body to keep away mosquitoes.” She also recommends, “To prevent any infection, we should boost our body’s immunity and this can be done by the intake of foods rich in vitamin C. Taking a spoon of Chyawanprash, eating freshly cooked green leafy vegetables, drinking freshly prepared lemonade and eating amla or Indian gooseberry can do wonders in building immunity.” (Dengue Fever: How to Prevent the Disease and Stay Healthy this Monsoon)