Dist sees decline in dengue cases

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 22

The district health department has witnessed a drop in the number of dengue cases.

In the past one week, only 230 cases of dengue were reported. Earlier, the daily average was 70-100 cases while now it was 35-50 cases a day. So far, 1,425 cases of dengue have been detected in Patiala.

Civil Surgeon Manjit Singh said, “I am hopeful that in the next 10 days, there will be a further fall in the number of persons being afflicted with the vector-borne disease.”

Meanwhile, health experts believe that the decline in the number of dengue cases is due to dip in the average temperature.

District epidemiologist Gurmeet said, “Breeding of dengue mosquitoes is affected with drop in temperature. The mosquito does not breed in cold weather. This is one of the reasons behind the decline in dengue cases of late.”

The Civil Surgeon, however, claimed that the decline in the number of dengue cases was the outcome of the department’s efforts, from “Friday dry-day” campaign to various outreach programmes started in July.

The peak season for breeding of dengue vector (carrier) is July to October. The intermittent rains during August and September and storing of water for days altogether at homes had given aedes aegypti (dengue mosquito) more time to breed, raising the count of those down with the disease.

Health officials along with the Municipal Corporation have so far issued 577 challans to residents, who were found wanting in preventive measures against breeding of mosquitoes.