Submitting a status report as sought by the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, Health and Family Welfare Additional Secretary KS Selvakumar told the court that each ZET is responsible for four districts for the sole purpose of controlling vector-borne diseases. 

The status report further said the total sanctioned post of Health inspectors (Gr 1) is 2,894, of which 384 is vacant and the process to fill the same has commenced. To carry out uninterrupted services in the field, an additional 2,715 Health Inspectors have been engaged temporarily now to carry out the disease control measures including the COVID pandemic control activities, the report said. 

Listing out the numerous steps taken in dengue prevention, the status report said in addition to the routine containment measures, in high-risk areas, Rapid Response Team with vehicle and fogging machines, larvicides and disinfectants are deployed. 

“This team consists of Block Medical Officer, Epidemiologist, Entomologist, Health Inspectors and Domestic Breeding Checkers and would rush to the affected areas and undertake mosquito control activities like source reduction, larvicide treatment and adult control by fogging and arresting the spread of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases,” the report said.