Health Dept shifts focus to dengue hotspots as cases on rise in Kurukshetra

With a gradual increase in dengue cases, the Health Department is focusing on hotspots spreading vector-borne disease. Department officials are asking residents to take ample measures to keep the disease at bay in the district.

According to the data procured from the department, 87 dengue cases were reported as of Saturday, of which 15 patients, who had contracted the disease, were admitted to hospitals for treatment. Six patients were getting treatment in OPDs, while 66 had recovered from the disease. No death has been reported due to dengue. Over 1,045 samples were collected for dengue testing.

Various teams of the Health Department have been checking houses for dengue larvae. During checking, teams found larvae in 1,653 houses. The Health Department served 966 notices to owners of houses where dengue larvae was found during checking.

Kurukshetra, Sector 3, Mohan Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Didar Nagar, Shanti Nagar, Patiala Bank Colony, Mohan Nagar, Chakravarti Mohalla, Gandhi Nagar, Jhansa and Barna are some of the hotspots from where dengue cases have been reported.

As per Health Department officials, a close watch is being kept on the high-risk areas. The department has deployed teams for conducting door-to-door survey, providing information, education and communication (IEC) activities, checking fever cases and detecting larvae at houses in the rural and urban areas.

Mosquito breeding checkers are also in the field. Notices are being served to people from whose houses dengue larvae is being found.

Dr Pradeep Kumar, Deputy Civil Surgeon, said, “The situation is better compared to the previous year, but we are keeping a close watch. Necessary steps are being taken to check the breeding of mosquitoes. We are in constant touch with all stakeholders, including the Urban Local Bodies and the Panchayat Department, to ensure fogging and stop breeding of mosquitoes. Dengue tests are being conducted at government facilities. Even private practitioners and labs have been directed to immediately report to the department in case any dengue test is found positive. Our teams visit houses of dengue patients to conduct tests of their family members. Teams also spray anti-larvae medicine in surroundings of houses of dengue patients.”

“Community participation is very important to prevent the spread of dengue. People shouldn’t allow water to stagnate in surroundings of their houses. They are being educated to keep checking roofs of their houses, coolers, water tanks and empty pots and to spill used oil on accumulated water,” he added.

“Besides this, the department is also ensuring that there are no malaria cases in the district. No malaria case has been reported in the district over the past three years. If the zero case status is maintained till 2025, the district will be declared malaria-free,” he said.

263 cases were reported in 2023

The district had reported five dengue cases in 2019. The number of such cases increased to 18 in the year 2020. The figure further increased to 129 in 2021. A drop was witnessed in dengue patients with 104 cases reported in 2022. In 2023, the district witnessed 263 cases which was more than the combined total of 256 dengue patients detected between 2019 and 2022.