Dengue count 498 in Muktsar

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, November 16

With every passing day, the number of dengue patients is rising in the district. As of now, 498 people have been tested positive for dengue here. This figure is much higher than the last year. Luckily, as of now, no death has been reported due to dengue in the district.

There were just 119 dengue positive patients in the district till the mid of last month. Further, there were just 26 dengue positive patients in the district two months ago.

Locals said the situation was likely to worsen as the pace of fogging was slow. “Littering in every nook and corner is the reason for dengue larvae. The larvae have been even found from a government hospital in the district. An awareness campaign has been launched, but the results are negligible so far. The municipal council authorities too should speed up the cleanliness work,” a local said.

A visit to various parts of the district presented sorry state of affairs as garbage was strewn everywhere providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Notably, the number of malaria positive patients is also increasing.

Dr Sukhpal Singh, Chief Medical Officer, Muktsar, said, “There are various factors responsible for the increasing number of dengue patients and garbage is one of them. The number of dengue positive patients is higher this year, but there has been no death due to dengue in the district. ”