Dengue cases set to rise in Punjab, say officials

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 8

Dengue outbreaks have been reported in several districts of the state. Over 4,600 positive cases have already been confirmed in the state so far. Officials said the cases would continue to rise in the coming days.

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The Health Department said Hoshiarpur remained the worst hit with over 811 positive cases followed by Amritsar with 676 cases. It has been learnt that positive cases have shot up in Bathinda, Mukstar and Mohali over the past few days.

10L houses inspected

Around 10 lakh households have already been inspected by the employees. We need community participation to curb the spread. —Dr Gagan Grover, —State nodal officer

In the wake of the conducive breeding temperatures for dengue mosquitoes, health officials are worried that the situation might go out of hand in some districts. A large number of dengue larvae were detected from households during anti-dengue drives. Dengue larvae from 20,000 households have already been detected this season.

Dr Gagan Grover, state nodal officer, said, “Around 10 lakh households have already been inspected by the employees. We need community participation to curb the spread because it becomes highly difficult to check every household once a week by health officials.”

He said testing labs had also been increased across the state from 30 to 39. Besides, more testing kits had been procured by the department following the rise in cases. “Around 15,853 tests have already been conducted in the state. Review meetings are being held to assess the situation. We are mindful of the situation and doing what we can to curb the spread,” he added.