Tamil Nadu senior citizens urge health camps amid rising dengue cases

The Federation of Senior Citizen Associations of Tamil Nadu (FESCATN) has appealed to the state government for urgent intervention to protect elderly citizens from rising dengue and other vector-borne illnesses. Highlighting the vulnerability of seniors with co-morbidities like diabetes and hypertension, FESCATN has requested the implementation of a structured protection plan, including pneumococcal vaccinations and bi-monthly health camps across Chennai and other districts.

In Chennai, families of dengue patients have alleged a lack of follow-up from health officials. Reports indicate that following the death of a 66-year-old resident in Mugalivakkam and the infection of a child in Triplicane, no field staff or sanitary inspectors visited the affected neighborhoods to conduct fever surveys or eliminate mosquito-breeding sources. While the Greater Chennai Corporation has conducted awareness campaigns, residents and health experts note that stagnant rainwater continues to create breeding grounds, and the mandatory reporting and surveillance protocols for notifiable diseases are not being effectively executed at the field level.