Amid increase in dengue cases in Patiala, chikungunya spreads tentacles

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Patiala, November 7

Amid rising dengue cases, the district is facing a threat of another vector-borne disease, chikungunya. Patiala on Monday reported seven cases of chikungunya. With this, the count of cases has risen to 23.

20 new dengue cases

Patiala on Monday reported 20 fresh cases of dengue, taking the count to 525 this season.

The Health Department said as both chikungunya and dengue are spreading in the district, people should get themselves tested for both the diseases.

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans from infected mosquitoes. Chikungunya is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito (also responsible for spreading dengue).

Dr Sumeet Singh, District Epidemiologist, said, “Unlike dengue, chikungunya causes milder symptoms. However, the symptoms are similar in both the diseases. The only difference is that of severity of the symptoms. Therefore, we are testing suspected patients for both dengue and chikungunya.”