Doctors at government, private and Tirunelveli Government Medical College hospitals report a significant increase in dengue patients over the past 45 days, a trend that is expected to worsen once the Northeast monsoon brings stagnant rainwater that serves as breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
In response, Tirunelveli Corporation Commissioner Monika Rana has ordered a city‑wide anti‑dengue drive, deploying teams to inspect houses, construction sites and any locations where discarded items may hold water. Officials have begun fogging operations after recent isolated rainfall and plan to expand them in the coming days.
The corporation has also warned property owners that failure to drain standing water will attract penalties. A hotel was fined ₹5,000 after larvae were found in its water tank, and fines of ₹3,000 each were imposed on a vacant plot in Tilak Nagar, Madurai, and a private building’s water tank where hospital staff reside.
In neighboring Tenkasi district, local bodies are conducting door‑to‑door inspections and additional fogging. District Collector Ranjeet Singh instructed primary health centres and government hospitals to set up dedicated dengue wards, monitor platelet counts of fever patients, and report daily fever case numbers to the district administration so that targeted anti‑dengue actions can be launched promptly.
Health officials have also intensified efforts in the Kadayanallur area after three suspected dengue deaths, including two among residents of the Boganallur Sri Lankan refugee camp, were reported. While the health department has denied a dengue link, a special medical camp was organized at the refugee camp to screen and treat residents.