Historical Background/Periodical Development
Dengue Control activities are being carried out by staff appointed under NVBDCP and staff working at Primary Health Center level. Separate Dengue Control Programme is proposed and is under consideration at National level. In the beginning, Dengue outbreaks were reported from Urban and Peri Urban areas. But during last three years, dengue outbreaks are being reported from rural area also.

In India, dengue infection is known to exist in endemic proportions for a very long time. The first major outbreak of dengue fever accompanied by dengue haemorrhagic fever was reported in Calcutta in 1963. About sixty outbreaks have been reported during the period 1956 to 1996. Because dengue infections have the potential of rapid spread leading to an acute public health problem, special attention is required to be paid for its surveillance, prevention & control.

Objectives
To reduce morbidity & mortality due to Dengue at least by 50 % in next 5 years.

Services to Common People
All Govt. Hospitals have been instructed to provide free treatment and laboratory facilities to the suspected Dengue patients.

Service centers available in each district
Treatment for Dengue is available at All Govt. Hospitals at Taluka and Dist. level & Medical College Hospitals.

Role of other sectors
Involvement & co–operation of other related sectors is obtained through the Umbrella Societies at District levels.

Impact
Non availability of separate infrastructure for Dengue Control and water scarcity leads to increase in number of Dengue cases and deaths due to dengue day by day.

Strategy of National Dengue Control Programme
Implementation strategies
Considering major outbreaks of dengue in the State of Maharashtra, the State has started vector surveillance from 1999 in all districts by giving training to 2 MPWs from each district. On the basis of entomological findings, following measures were undertaken to control/prevent dengue in the State. State has also prepared action plan for controlling Dengue outbreaks during 2003–04.

a.	Fever Survey.
	Collection of Blood Smears to rule out malaria. Presumptive treatment with Chloroquine. Collection of Serum samples for isolation of Dengue virus if there are no malaria positive cases. Collection of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes for isolation. The State has prepared district Action Plan for dengue control during the year 2003.
b.	Indoor/outdoor fogging with Pyrethrum Extract/Synthetic Pyrethroid Ultra Low Volume(ULV )
c.	To empty all domestic & Peri domestic water containers to eliminate the Aedes breeding.
d.	The indoor residual spraying with Synthetic Pyrethroid.
e.	The State has also supplied rapid diagnostic dengue kits (Panbio) to selected districts.
f	IEC: Health Education regarding seriousness of Dengue disease, its spread and measures to be undertaken is given at the time of house visits. Posters, Pamphlets are also distributed.