Vector diseases hit Ghaziabad as rain stalls fogging, 41 dengue cases reported
The Ghaziabad district administration on Thursday confirmed that 41 residents of the district are suffering from dengue as of Thursday evening. As many as 14 cases of chikungunya were also reported.
The district administration on Thursday confirmed that 41 residents of the district are suffering from dengue as of Thursday evening. As many as 14 cases of chikungunya were also reported
As of Wednesday, three cases of dengue had been confirmed and another 34 were suspected to be suffering from the disease.
The Uttar Pradesh administration directed the district officials of Ghaziabad to set up health camps also undertake drives to spread awareness about prevention of seasonal diseases, including dengue. The directions were issued during a video conference on Thursday.
“We are now preparing a plan to set up health camps, in collaboration with private partnership, in densely populated areas. The camps will come up soon. Besides, we will also carry out drives, including at schools, to spread awareness on prevention of prevalent diseases,” Nidhi Kesarwani, district magistrate of Ghaziabad, said.
The health department, on the other hand, is yet to initiate the fogging drive. According to the health department officials, fogging was last conducted in April-May.
“The 41 cases were confirmed with the help of Elisa test. Nearly 138 samples from government and private hospitals were tested so far. Another 14 cases of chikungunya were also confirmed, of the 73 samples tested. There were no confirmed cases of chikungunya last year but nearly 3,150 confirmed cases of dengue were reported. Two dengue-related casualties were also reported last year,” GK Mishra, district malaria officer, said.
“We are ready to conduct fogging and spray medicines but rain has hampered the drive. As soon as the rain stops, the drive will start with the help of the municipal corporation. Apart from this, the public is advised to empty coolers, as most of the mosquito breeding is witnessed in water filled equipment. We have also distributed around 50,000 tablets to the public, which can be used to kill larvae in coolers,” he said.
Meanwhile, the health department has also set up isolation wards, with 10 beds each at Sanjay Nagar Combined Government Hospital and MMG District Hospital.
“I have severe pain in my limbs and I am unable to move as I am drained of energy,” Karishma, a patient admitted at Sanjay Nagar hospital, said.
Patients are visiting the two hospitals in large numbers, with symptoms of viral fever and other seasonal ailments.
“I am suffering from high fever since Sunday and several drips have been administered. Doctors tell me that I am suffering from malaria,” Rajiv Yadav, a patient at the district hospital, said.