10 dengue cases in Ambala, dept intensifies inspection

Nitish Sharma

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Ambala, September 13

With 10 dengue cases recorded so far, the Health Department has intensified inspections and asked residents to take ample measures to keep the disease at bay in Ambala.

Necessary steps being taken

Necessary steps are being taken to check the breeding of mosquitoes. So far, 10 cases have been recorded but the cases are scattered. Every day, around 90 to 100 samples are being tested. — Dr Sanjeev Singla, Deputy Civil Surgeon

Breaking the records of six years, 686 dengue cases were reported last year. The district had recorded 552 and 582 cases, respectively in 2015 and 2016, and then a decline was witnessed over the next two years with the district witnessing 328 and 110 cases in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In 2019, 124 cases were reported and the cases dropped to 42 in 2020, but it increased to 686 in 2021. While the residents had blamed poor fogging and sanitation condition for higher number of cases, the Health Department blamed waterlogging in small pockets due to untimely rainfall for the spike in dengue cases last year.

As per Health Department officials, this year over 4,780 notices under the municipal Act have been issued to the people so far after dengue larvae were found in their houses during inspection. A team of 50 Health Department employees was already in the field, and another team of 60 breeding checkers has been deployed for the survey.

Dr Sanjeev Singla, Deputy Civil Surgeon, said, “Necessary steps are being taken to check the breeding of mosquitoes. So far, 10 cases have been recorded but the cases are scattered. Every day, around 90 to 100 samples are being tested. Untimely rainfall and waterlogging in small pockets led to the spike in dengue cases last year but this year not much rains have been recorded and no such pockets have also been reported.”

“As many as 60 breeding checkers have been deployed for a door-to-door survey after proper training. Our teams have found larvae in coolers, flowerpots, back tray of refrigerators, tanks and other objects. The checkers are creating awareness among people so that they don’t allow water to stagnate in their surroundings and if there is any accumulation, then they are being asked to spill used oil on accumulated water.”

About a suspected death case, Dr Singla said, “The person had arrived in Ambala Cantonment on August 28 from Delhi with fever and he was admitted to a private hospital in Mohali around August 29 where he died. His medical record has come and the audit committee will prepare a report on whether the cause of death was dengue or not.”