The medical and health department collected blood samples from 135 suspected dengue fever patients and sent them to the microbiology department in the Guntur Medical College for tests.

After getting report the officials of the district medical and health department will confirm the dengue cases. It will take at least 10 days to get report. The number of persons suffering from viral fevers is increasing in the district day by day. According to official reports, till now 47 people died of due to viral fevers. Private hospitals are collecting thousands of rupees from the poor patients andas a precautionary measure, they are giving treatment for dengue fever.

The district administration has taken steps to create awareness on viral and dengue fevers in the district. The revenue divisional officers are conducting divisional-level meetings in Guntur, Tenali and Narsaraopet divisions to create awareness to the sarpanches and ward members to improve sanitation in the villages. The district administration constituted a district-level task force to inspect the hospitals every day and made arrangements to get information from the private hospitals in the district to monitor the situation.

The joint director of municipal administration, higher officials of the panchayat raj and the rural water supply department will review the steps taken by the departments concerned everyday. The district medical and health department has taken steps to conduct health camps in the villages to render medical services to the patients and requested the NGOs and blood donors to donate if any patient requires blood.

The state government has released Rs 10 lakh to the district to purchase emergency medicines in the primary health centres. The district medical and health officer, Dr M. Gopinayak said, “We will collect blood samples three times within a span of 15 days from the patients suffering from suspected dengue fever. After conducting the Elisa test we will declare dengue fever.”

He also said that during the last one month 1,550 fever cases were reported in various primary health centres in the district. Replying to a question, he said patients suffering various diseases will get fever. Till now no dengue death has been reported in the district. “At least 35,000 platelets are required for human body. If platelets are less than it, there is need to administer platelets to the patient,” he said.