Pathankot district registers dip in dengue cases this year

Ravi Dhaliwal

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Pathankot, November 11

Pathankot district, which otherwise used to be a common breeding area for mosquitoes due to its sub-mountainous terrain, pulled out all spots against the dreaded dengue disease this year following which the number of cases saw a decrease as compared to 2021.

The district saw 1,729 cases in the last calendar year. This year, till today, the figure is pegged at just 730.

Dr Sakshi Saglotra, District Epidemiologist, said adequate precautions by the civil hospital authorities had led to a substantial reduction in cases. “The district, apart from being located on the foothills of the mountains, is a low-lying area due to which water accumulates here. Owing to this, mosquito breeding is common here,” she said.

The district health authorities identified dengue-prone areas and labelled them as hotspots. “A total of 25 hotspots were identified in urban areas and six in rural areas. Here, vector control measures were taken well in advance. Dengue is a vector-borne disease which is caused by mosquitoes. Our teams, while on visits to hotspots, informed residents that the best way to fight dengue is to prevent mosquito bite,” she said.

Health officials also collaborated with the Municipal Corporation (MC) authorities to carry out fogging in the city, particularly in hotspots.

Dr Sakshi said she used to lead a team of field workers to these areas almost every day to educate the residents about the causes of the disease. “Surveillance was upped in areas having an increased breeding index,” she said.

“Our immune system has tools which can fight infections. As our body fights a virus, it looks through its toolbox to find out which tool (antibody) it has that can destroy that specific threat. Once our body fights that specific virus, we are unlikely to get sick with it again,” she said.