No let-up in dengue cases as Jalandhar district tally touches 389

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 7

On September 26 this year, the number of dengue cases in the district was merely 31. On October 27, there were 241 cases. The tally today stands at a whopping 389. The number of dengue cases in the last fortnight alone has climbed by over a 100 cases.

Until November 2, the district had 338 cases of dengue which rose to 389 today. A majority of the cases are being reported from urban areas. In the last one week alone, there have been reported 51 more cases of dengue.

As many as 18 new cases have been reported in Jalandhar out of the 25 (others were from other districts) tested positive. Of the 18 cases, five were reported at the Civil Hospital. We are surveying areas where dengue cases are being reported regularly. Fogging drives are also being carried out twice in vulnerable areas. The samples pending over the holidays were tested today. The situation will be clear on Monday. Dr Aditya Paul, Epidemiologist, Jalandhar

A dip in the mercury usually leads to a fall in the number of dengue cases. Despite a change in the temperatures, there has been no let-up in dengue cases in the district so far. Cases continue to increase. Following the festival week, the first week of November has seen a substantial increase in dengue cases.

A healthy and nutritious food is a good thing, but if someone feels that goat milk alone can cure dengue, it is just a myth. A patient must take complete bed rest, vitamin C in any form and increase intake of fluids A physician

On November 2, as many as 42 samples of dengue tested positive, while in the sampling conducted today as many as 25 cases tested positive out of which 18 are from Jalandhar. These samples also included those tested for the last two days.

Of the 18 Jalandhar samples which tested positive today, as many as 15 samples are from urban areas while three are from rural areas.

Hotspots

Notably, while a majority of the cases in the district have been reported from urban areas, some areas have emerged as hotspots in both urban and rural areas. Among urban areas, Jalandhar Cantt with 18 cases, Basti Dainishmandan with 13 cases and Sodal area (with eight cases) have emerged as major hotspots. Meanwhile in rural areas, Barapind (with 31 cases), Kartarpur with 19 cases and Jamsher and Kala Bakra with 16 and 15 cases, respectively, have emerged as hotspots.

Among urban areas, cases are being reported from following areas — Garha and Railway Colony (5 cases each); Sant Nagar, Islamganj and Tej Mandi, Kamal Vihar (Bashirpur), SAS Nagar, Ladowali Road, Urban Estate, Bachint Nagar, Jatpura Mohalla, Basti Bawa Khel, Army Enclave, Buta Pind, Gandhi Nagar, Avtar Nagar, Partap Nagar, Ashok Vihar, Ram Nagar and Adarsh Nagar (2 cases each); Gurunankpura, Guru Ram Das Nagar, Industrial Focal Point, Hargobind Nagar, Model Town, Panj Peer Colony, Bargo Camp, Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Nagar, Tagore DAV Colony, Jalandhar Vihar, Wazir Nagar and Greeb Avenue (3 cases each); Shaeed Babu Labh Singh Nagar, Gopal Nagar, Noorpur-Bulandpur (4 cases); Sodal Road (8 cases); Jalandhar Cantt (18 cases); Basti Dainishmandan (13 cases); Basti Sheikh (7 cases); Raja Garden, Basti Peer, Shastri Nagar (9 cases collectively) and Sanotkhpura (6 cases).

Across rural areas, areas which have reported cases include Barapind (31), Kartarpur (19), Jamsher (16), Kala Bakra (15), Mehatpur (11), Shahkot (4), Jandiala and Adampur (3 each), Bilga (1).

Symptoms

People infected by the dengue virus may suffer from high fever, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and bone pain, rash and mild bleeding

Dos

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