Dengue count reaches 130 in dist

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 13

Dengue has started spreading its tentacles in the region as the number of patients tested positive reached around 130 in Bathinda and has crossed 300 in Mansa district.

The graph of the dengue patients at Bhai Mani Singh Government Hospital in Bathinda is on the rise.

The dengue ward set up at the hospital is also getting patients on daily basis these days.

The Mansa Civil Hospital had received 1,014 samples of suspected cases, of which more than 300 have tested positive.

Despite the spurt in dengue patients, the lack of seriousness with which government officials are dealing with the disease has surfaced as there is no permanent MD (Medicine) doctor deputed at the Mansa Civil Hospital. An MD (Medicine) doctor visits the hospital only twice a week as he has been deputed at Sardulgarh as well.

Bathinda Civil Surgeon HN Singh said, “Around 130 patients have been tested positive for dengue in the district. Recently, the cases have seen a spurt as September and October are the main months when such cases are reported.”

Mansa Civil Surgeon Dr Lal Chand Thukral said, “A spurt in dengue cases has been reported in the district, but the department has made adequate arrangements to deal with it. Dr Sohan Lal, who is MD, is examining patients at the Mansa Civil Hospital.”

Bathinda-based private medical specialist Dr Ripudamanjit Singh Kalra said, “Dengue fever is caused by a family of virus transmitted by mosquitoes. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) and rashes.”

He said, “Dengue fever is caused by a type of virus called flavivirus, which is transmitted by infected female Aedes mosquitoes. You can catch the virus if you get bitten by an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite an infected person and are able to pass on the virus for the rest of their life.”

A Health Department official claimed that it is not only the department’s duty to deal with dengue. Moreover, people are equally responsible behind a surge in the number of dengue patients.

“Many a time, we went to residential areas and issued challans to a number of city residents for not changing air-cooler water and found larvae of aedes aegypti (mosquito that spreads dengue),” he added.

Symptoms of dengue

• Sudden high fever, pain behind eyes, sudden headaches, severe joint and muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, which usually appears three or four days after the onset of fever, mild bleeding from nose, bleeding gums and easy bruising. 

Dos and don’ts

• Dengue spreads through mosquito bite, which occurs during the day time. 
• Mosquitoes breed in containers such as flower pots, water coolers, water tanks having fresh water.
• Clean and dry coolers once a week
• Keep rooftops clear of containers/tyres
• Wear full sleeves and cover your feet in the morning and evening
• Spray insecticides under the tables and behind curtains
• Use anti-mosquito nets while sleeping