Nothing much to worry about dengue: Azad

NEW DELHI - The dengue situation in India is not dangerous, union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said here Sunday even as Delhi has reported five deaths and over 2,500 cases of the vector-borne disease this year.

“Dengue count in the country is still low. The type of vector borne disease is subtype 3, which is not very dangerous,” Azad told reporters at the launch of the sports injury centre at the Safdarjung Hospital.

“In nations such as Sri Lanka, there have been nearly 15,000 cases of dengue and over 200 people have died. Indonesia has had over 80,000 cases of dengue,” he said.

The sports injury centre, inaugurated by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, aims to provide world-class treatment for sports-related injuries.

Speaking on the role of the health ministry in the Commonwealth Games, Azad said: “Our role is not much in CWG. We are here to provide medical services in dispensaries and wellness centres nationwide.”