6 dengue cases in Sept, Jalandhar administration on alert

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 8

As many as six cases of dengue have been reported in the district in the current monsoon season. All six cases were treated at DMC, Ludhiana.

The Health Department has been carrying out Friday Dry Day campaign for the past over a month to check the spread of dengue in the district. All these cases were reported after September 2 to the district. Health sources said: “In Jalandhar, around 18 to 22 cases of fever were being tested for dengue everyday.

What is surprising is that while six fever cases have tested positive from the DMC alone, no dengue case has been reported in Jalandhar.

While a couple of these cases were reported in August, they were referred to the DMC after persistent fever and the Health Department said while referring the patients, they were not even aware that they had dengue as their tests were conducted at the DMC.

Symptoms

The symptoms of the disease include high grade fever above 102°F, headache, pain in eyes, general body pains, vomiting, skin rashes, which must be monitored for 7 to 10 days by medical experts

Dos

• Always keep overhead tanks properly covered
• Drain out water from coolers and scrub these dry once a week
• In case of fever, get your blood examined at the earliest
• Take full treatment if infected

Don’ts

• Do not allow water to stagnate in and around your house
• Do not throw discarded containers, tyres, pitchers and pots on the rooftop

Water-logged fountain near MC office

• Despite the intensive Friday dry day and other health inspection drives, a fountain at the Company Bagh premises right next to the Municipal Corporation in Jalandhar is acting as a haven for dengue breeding
• The MC office is ironically right down the road where the Civil Hospital is located. The site was found to be waterlogged today due to the fountain being out of order for the past few days
• Water accumulated at the site poses a threat right under the nose of the MC employees who are supposed to carry out fogging in the city to ensure citizens remain protected from dengue. The epidemiologist said the fountain site will be inspected and sanitised on Thursday.

The six cases reported in Jalandhar are from Kartarpur, Nakodar, Chogawan village, Bhargo Nagar, Sodal Chowk and Phillaur.

Meanwhile, with many bustling slums and congested localities in the city, the Health Department has intensified hectic drives to clear residential and other areas of dengue larvae.

The Health Department has also begun receiving weekly reports from the private hospitals for both dengue and malaria cases.

Epidemiologist, Dr Aditya Paul, said: “The Jalandhar Civil Hospital has the capacity to test at least 240 samples per day but currently much lesser fever cases are being reported. We have three kits with 82 to 84 sample testing capability per kit. So far, none of the patients tested from own kits have tested positive.” When asked why all six cases were only from DMC and none from Jalandhar, Dr Paul said, “All we know is that six dengue cases were notified to us from Chandigarh. We are testing samplers regularly in Jalandhar.

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