Despite dip in dengue cases, larvae found at schools, homes

In a significant public health milestone, Ludhiana has reported just twelve dengue cases in the first half of 2025—its lowest mid-year count since 2022.

Health officials credit this remarkable achievement to aggressive early interventions and a district-wide surveillance campaign. But with active larvae still being discovered, the city remains in a delicate balancing act between progress and persistence.

To curb dengue, the Health Department hired 100 domestic breeding checkers earlier this year to identify and eliminate mosquito habitats in residential areas. In parallel, 325 monitoring teams—18 for urban and 307 for rural—have been deployed to conduct inspections and raise awareness. Each team comprises multipurpose health workers, swastya sewaks, domestic breeding checkers in urban and multipurpose health workers in rural areas.

Last week Ludhiana saw one of its largest dengue control drives to date. A total of 521 health teams inspected 851 schools, 29,747 houses and 51,445 water-holding containers.

Dengue larvae were found in 147 locations—including 23 schools and 61 homes—prompting immediate larvicide spraying and strict advisories.

“We discovered larvae inside classrooms and homes, which is deeply concerning,” said Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Vivek Kataria. “The government alone cannot win this fight. Collective action is non-negotiable,” he added.

To instill cleaning habits, the department has launched the campaign ‘Har Shukravaar – Dengue te Vaar’ (every Friday – fight dengue), calling upon every household, school and workplace to dedicate Fridays to cleaning their premises.

District Epidemiologist Dr Sheetal Narang said, “These mosquitoes breed in clean, stagnant water and bite in daylight. Cleaning every corner once a week is vital.”

Despite notable progress, authorities urge citizens to remain vigilant. Stagnant water must be eliminated, especially during the monsoon season, to prevent resurgence.

“The Health Department is calling on everyone to join the weekly campaign and help turn Ludhiana into a dengue-free district—one cleaned rooftop, emptied cooler and cleared flowerpot at a time,” said Dr Kataria.