Ambala: Dengue cases on rise, Health Department says situation under control

Nitish Sharma

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Ambala, November 6

With six new dengue cases reported on Sunday, the number of dengue cases have increased to 231 in the district.

A total of 14 new cases have been reported in the last two days. The locals claim inadequate fogging to be the reason behind the rise in cases while the Health Department blames waterlogging.

As per information, the Health Department served notices to over 7,250 people this season after dengue larvae were detected in their houses. Around 86,560 houses were inspected by a team of 60 breeding checkers, 70 MPHWs and health inspectors, and 815 ASHA workers.

Sanjay Sethi, a local resident, said, “The dengue cases are on the rise but we have not seen intensive fogging or spraying in the city. The Municipal Corporation (MC) and the Health Department must take intensive measures in advance to control the disease.”

Mithun Verma, MC member from Ward 10 said, “Due to inadequate machines, the corporation has not been able to intensively carry out the fogging process. A complete schedule would need to be prepared for the timely coverage of areas under our jurisdiction. We have raised the matter with the officials several times, but to no avail.”

District epidemiologist Dr Sunil Hari said, “Fresh cases are daily being reported but the situation is under control. No deaths due to the disease have been reported in the district so far. The cases are scattered and there is no particular pocket from where a prominent number of cases have been recorded, but the Health Department has been keeping a close watch in high-risk areas, including Baldev Nagar, Hira Nagar, Nahan House, Lal Kurti, Kala Amb and Chaurmastpur.”

About 200 to 250 tests are daily being conducted and doctors are recommending ELISA dengue test in case of dengue-related symptoms. All school health teams and Community Health Officers are also involved in fever screening and educating people about the measures to be taken to prevent the disease. About 400 litres of used oil was purchased for fogging. As the temperature will fall, the number of cases reported would start decreasing, he added.