Rising cases of dengue, chikungunya add to Amritsar residents’ worries

Amritsar, August 28

With over 235 dengue and 190 chikungunya cases reported so far from the district, residents are worried as the number of mosquito-borne diseases are constantly on the rise. Though dengue cases are reported every year during the monsoon season which subsides as soon as the winter season approaches and the temperatures start falling, chikungunya is a disease which most of the local residents have seldom heard of.

With its usual prevalence in states like Uttar Pardesh and Bihar, the district seldom reported a case of chikungunya in the past. This year, however, it has surprised even the health experts. While they are attributing the arrival of the new mosquito-borne disease to water-logging caused by flooding in different areas, residents say that cases have been reported from areas which never saw water-logging or were not affected by flood waters.

A health official said, “What is worrisome is that while a large number of people with symptoms similar to chikungunya have complained of being sick, they have not specifically tested positive for the disease. Maybe a new strain of virus similar to chikungunya has infected them.”

The monsoon season this year had been particularly hard for local residents as they had to battle with various infections, including dengue, chikungunya and conjunctivitis. While the Health Department and the government are claiming that there is a need to create awareness among the general public to check spread of these diseases, they themselves have failed to provide any relief to the patients most of whom are dependent on private hospitals for treatment.