At 372 dengue cases, Kapurthala 2nd worst-hit district after Bathinda; Amritsar 3rd with 301 cases

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 10

With 372 cases of dengue reported from Kapurthala till today, the district is the second worst hit in the state.

While Bathinda tops the list with 376 cases, Kapurthala district has 372 cases and Amritsar comes in at number three with 301 dengue cases.

The erstwhile royal city of Kapurthala, which was once renowned for its tree-lined vistas and palatial buildings, is now increasingly getting notorious for its garbage dumps and litter piles – which have contributed to the dengue problem.

Situation under control

The total active cases are 86 at present. The situation is under control. A major reason for the high number of cases is the intensive reporting from private practitioners. We have approached all hospitals & dispensaries to report cases. —Dr Rajwinder Kaur, Civil surgeon

While Jalandhar had gathered notoriety for its dengue cases earlier, for the past few years, the roles have reversed with Kapurthala topping dengue cases in Doaba. In Jalandhar, the number is a mere 53 in comparison.

Kapurthala district reported 68 cases in July, a whopping 199 cases in August and 86 cases in September so far.

Within Kapurthala, Phagwara is the worst hit with 152 cases. Panchatt – which had a serious dengue situation last year too - comes in close with 66 cases in the past three months. No dengue death has been reported in Kapurthala so far.

Interestingly, health authorities said closed NRI homes and garbage dumps littering the streets had a major role to play.

Civil Surgeon, Kapurthala, Dr Rajwinder Kaur said, “The total active dengue cases are 86 at present. The situation is under control. One of the prime reasons for the cases in the district is the intensive reporting from private practitioners. We have approached every hospital and dispensary to report the cases.”

Speaking about the civic situation, the Civil Surgeon said, “I had been holding field visits in Phagwara and other dengue-hit areas. Nurseries in Phagwara had pots filled with water. Many swimming pools and pots in locked NRI homes, which we can’t enter, have water accumulated in them. Also, the problem of piling litter and garbage dumps have also been flagged as pockets in plastic bags and scrap create conducive atmosphere for dengue larvae to thrive.”

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