1. Malaria, Chikungunya on a Decline as Dengue Cases Rise: Govt Data
Vector-borne diseases malaria and chikungunya have seen a decline in the thirty-second week of the year, while dengue appears to be on the rise in the state as compared to the same period in 2018, according to state health department officials.
Dr BS Jesalpura, joint director in charge of state’s National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme, said, “Vector-borne diseases tend to rise after monsoon. Malaria has been declining and if it continues to rain, we can expect numbers to decline further. In case of dengue, we are expecting a rise till September. Such diseases are expected to go down by mid-October.”
Jesalpura added that the office of the health department has not received any reports of death due to any vector-borne diseases this year. “We saw some media reports on deaths in some areas but we have not received any such reports. As per our guidelines, a patient’s death will be considered as due to vector-borne disease, if that is the only diagnosis. If a patient tests positive for malaria and suffers a heart attack, the cause of death will not be malaria but heart attack. Co-morbidity is not factored in,” he said.
(Source: Indian Express)
2. Congo Fever Death Rings Alarm Bells Across State
In what could be a major threat for the state, a confirmed case of death due to the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital came to light on Monday.
The deceased, a 75-year-old woman from Limbdi taluka, was admitted in SVP Hospital on 20 August after being referred from CU Shah Medical College, Surendranagar, with fever and septicaemia.
The doctors suspected it to be a case of CCHF and sent her blood samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. While the woman died the same day during treatment, the NIV report received on 24 August confirmed CCHF.
Sources in the civic body said the treating doctor and two paramedic staff who attended to the patient have been kept under observation and their blood samples have been sent to NIV to check whether they are also infected or not.
(Source: DNA)
3. Former BJP MLA’s Murder: Three Accused Move HC for Bail
Three key accused in the murder of former BJP MLA, Jayanti Bhanushali, have moved the Gujarat High Court (HC) seeking regular bail. Bhanushali had been murdered in a train in January this year, while traveling from Bhuj to Ahmedabad.
Former BJP MLA and rival to Bhanushali, Chhabildas Patel, had moved the HC earlier this month. The court of Justice Vipul Pancholi had issued notice, returnable on Wednesday. To this effect, the public prosecutor had waived service of notice on behalf of the respondent state.
The FIR had been filed at Gandhidham B-division police station in Kutch, charging Patel under IPC sections 115 (Abetment of offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life) and 120-B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy). His bail application, at the additional district court of Gandhidham, had been rejected in July. Chhabildas had fled to the US following the murder and was arrested.
Apart from Chhabildas, two other accused in Bhanushali’s murder, too, have filed for regular bail.
(Source: Indian Express)
4. Most Rescued Child Labourers From Ahmedabad and Surat
The highest number of child labourers who were rescued in raids across the city last year were from Ahmedabad, data from the labour and employment department revelas.
In all as many as 116 children who were employed as child labourers were rescued in raids across the state under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, in the last one year, officials said.
Of these, 25 were rescued from Ahmedabad alone while Surat had the second highest number of rescue at 21. This means of the total number of rescue, 22% of the children were rescued from the icty alone while 40% of the total rescue happened in the two districts of Ahmedabad and Surat.
This resecue came following the 854 raids that were carried out by the department. In all Rs4.9 lakh was collected as fine from various units during the raids.
(Source: DNA)
5. NGT Tells State Pollution Board to Clear Pirana Landfill on a War Footing
More than a month after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi pulled up the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and the state government for the legacy waste at Pirana landfill, the tribunal in an order passed on 20 August asked the board to clear the landfill on a war footing.
The NGT’s latest order comes after the state government filed an affidavit on 20 August stating that it has made a budgetary allocation to deal with the waste.
In its 2 July order, the NGT directed the state to immediately remedy this in a time-bound manner. “…the issue of clearing the legacy waste at Pirana must be attended to preferably within two weeks and the work to clear the legacy waste may commence preferably within one month.”
The tribunal also directed that a seven-member committee be formed in this regard and further asked the state to transfer Rs 75 crore to an escrow account.
(Source: Indian Express)
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