139 dengue cases in Fazilka, residents claim outbreak

As many as 139 dengue cases have been recorded in Fazilka, with local residents claiming an outbreak. Several local medical practitioners too said the number could be higher.

An official source said private doctors were reluctant to inform the health authorities about the actual count to avoid stringent safety measures they were required to undertake to treat them.

The source said Malkana Mohalla, Gandhi Nagar, Jattian Mohalla and Radha Swami Colony were among most-affected areas.

Meanwhile, the lack of machines to separate platelets from the blood has added to the woes. A machine is lying defunct at the blood bank in the old Civil Hospital building due to lack of trained staff to operate it.

District Epidemiologist Sunita Kamboj said lakhs of larvae were found in open drains during inspections. She said despite repeated appeals, residents did not bother to remove stagnant water.

Meanwhile, Dr Navdeep Jasuja, who works at a private hospital, said, “Several cases of dengue are coming daily and we are advising patients to get themselves tested from government hospitals too for confirmation.” “We have been referring at least one patient out of town daily due to low platelet count,” he added.

Fazilka Beopar Mandal president Ashok Gulbadhar claimed that dengue had spread all over the town and the actual numbers were much higher.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Mandeep Kaur said a joint inspection with the Health Department was being carried out.