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Synopsis

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday took notice of the widespread of dengue and chikungunya in the State of Uttar Pradesh. 

The bench of Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker and Justice Ajay Bhanot asked the Additional Advocate General Manish Goyal to obtain necessary instructions on the following issues:

1. The steps taken by the State Government to prevent spread of infecting mosquitoes.

2. The steps taken by the State Government to manage the patients in various Government and Private Hospitals.

3. The details and credentials of the agencies of the State which identify strain of dengues and suggest line of treatment accordingly. Scientific research done at the instance of the State Government which will assist and guide in better prevention and cure of the spread of dengue in future, since this infection is becoming a recurring problem in the State.

4. Report of expert agencies of the State Government regarding the peculiarities of the strain of dengue in this particular outbreak and its differences with the characteristics of dengue in the earlier outbreaks.

5. Steps taken to identify line of management of spread of this particular strain of dengue virus from point of view of public health and also from the perspective of individual cases i.e. line of treatment etc.

6. Further, the future management including prevention of steps taken to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.

7. Manner of publicity of both the modes of management and cure of the malady.

Further, court appointed Advocate Nitin Sharma and Advocate Aditya Bhushan Singhal as amicus curiae in the matter. 

"Learned counsels in the highest tradition of the Bar have consented to assist the Court pro bono," said the division bench. 

The matter will be taken up for further hearing on November 6, 2023. 

Last year, in a suo motu PIL on account of the alarming situation of the spread of dengue fever in Prayagraj, in the month of November, the high court had expressed dissatisfaction with the steps taken by the local administration in Prayagraj to control the Dengue outbreak.

An observation was made by the court then that only tall claims were being made by the city administration and no countermeasures were visible anywhere.

Case Title: In Re (Suo Moto) v. State of UP