Raipur Diary: Uptick in conjunctivitis cases

Raipur,JULY 30:  The state capital is reeling under an outbreak of conjunctivitis, or pink eye, with widespread occurrence of the seasonal infection being reported. Surge in the eye infection has also been reported in other parts of the state with around 20,000 cases emerging in the last one week.

However, every fourth patient for the infection is in the capital, say government and private hospitals. In its effort to tackle the onslaught, the government has gone for extensive awareness campaigns on safeguards against the infection while ensuring available of medicines for those suffering from the symptoms. Conjunctivitis usually spreads during the monsoon due to humidity.

A total of 23,693 neonatal and 15,574 child mortality (1-5 years) deaths have been reported in the state since January 2019 till June 2023. The state handed out the figures in response to a query by former Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Dharamlal Kaushik, who contended that the opposition has been raising the issue of ‘woeful condition and negligence’ of the state health authorities.

To this, the government asserted that the state’s intervention have resulted in lowering the mortality rate. Moreover, Unicef cited a decline in neonatal and infant mortality rate.

With Assembly elections barely months away, parties in the state have swung into action targeting each other via the ‘pol khol’ strategy (to expose). BJP cadre is set to begin visiting all 90 Assembly segments, carrying copies of the Congress’ 2018 poll manifesto in an attempt to lay bare the government’s ‘failures’.

BJP is simultaneously analysing people’s views on what is expected from the party if it forms government. Meanwhile, the Congress will soon roll out its ‘Samvidhan Rakshak’ (protector of Constitution) campaign in every segment and amplify the ‘misgovernance’ of the Modi-led Central government.

-The New Indian Express