With 296 confirmed cases, dengue tightens its grip

Varinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 1

Dengue has started tightening its grip around Punjab with as many as 296 confirmed and 1,108 suspected cases surfacing in different parts of the state.

The first suspected ‘dengue-related’ death of one Amritsar-based patient three days back has sent alarm bells ringing across the state health department. The department authorities are yet to ascertain the exact cause of death.

To deal with the rising flow of dengue patients, the health department has already created special ‘dengue corners’ in all government-run hospitals.

As many as 150 private mosquito ‘breeding checkers’ have been engaged by the department to conduct checking to locate breeding grounds of mosquitoes in urban public places with the help of health workers. Almost all cases of dengue are being reported from urban areas.

The major reason for the department’s worry is the early advent of the ‘dengue season’ and proliferation of Aedes aegypti, a small dark mosquito with white lyre-shaped markings and banded legs. It is responsible for the spread of the dengue virus in Punjab and most parts of North India.

The ‘normal’ season for dengue to surface in Punjab is between August and November, but it started knocking on the state’s doors as early as May due to unseasonal rain and consequent hovering of lower temperature in the range of 18-32°C.

“Dengue, this time, is likely to last from May to November. The problem is that ideal temperature is prevailing across the state which is helping in the proliferation of the strain of mosquito responsible for the disease. The situation is better than last year when as many as 472 dengue cases were reported in Punjab,” said Dr Gagandeep Singh Grover, State Programme Officer of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).

He said dengue was considered an ‘urban disease’ while malaria cases were mostly detected in rural areas.

“We are collecting dengue samples from across the state. These samples will be sent to the specialised laboratory of the PGI to determine if there are any changes in the strain of the virus,” said Dr. Grover.

The biggest problem before the state health department is its inability to ascertain an exact head count of dengue patients due to the alleged lack of cooperation with respect to dengue reporting from private hospitals.

Most private hospitals resort to ‘late reporting’ of a dengue patient. “We have taken up the matter with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) also and it have assured us cooperation,” said Dr Grover.