No follow-up action after dengue death and infections in Chennai, families allege
After a 66-year-old resident of Mugalivakkam died from dengue on September 17, his family alleged that no health officials visited their home or checked the neighbourhood for fever cases and mosquito-breeding sources. The daughter of the deceased said the health department and Chennai Corporation took no preventive measures in their area, despite several neighbours showing flu-like symptoms.
Similar complaints have emerged from other dengue patients' families across Chennai, raising questions about whether reported cases are being followed up by field staff. A Triplicane resident reported that after his seven-year-old son tested positive for dengue, no health worker visited their house or surveyed the neighbourhood.
As dengue is a notifiable disease, hospitals must report cases to enable surveillance and mosquito-control measures. Former public health director Dr K Kolandaswamy stated that field health workers are required to visit affected areas, check for other fever cases, identify breeding sources, and organise medical camps if clusters are detected.
