Ludhiana: 15% more dengue cases recorded in district this year
The district saw 162 cases in November, 245 in October, 104 in September, 16 in August, six in July and three each in June and May
The district recorded nearly 15% rise in dengue cases this year. The cases last year were 471 which rose to 539 this time.
The district saw 162 cases in November, 245 in October, 104 in September, 16 in August, six in July and three each in June and May. The cases shot up in late October. By October 25, the district had reported just 252 cases, less than half the total ones. Ever since the district logged 287.
This year also saw the death of a 43-year-old woman due to dengue. Last year, there were no deaths due to dengue. The cases started surfacing this month. According to district epidemiologist Dr Supreet, there have been no such cases for the past one week.
After the cases started rising in October, the department had identified 29 hotspots across the district. As per health officials, when a locality reports more than two dengue cases, it is observed as a hotspot.
Till mid-September this year, the cases had registered a fall compared to previous years and the health department aimed to curb the spread of the vector-borne disease.
During a visit to the district on May 10 to take stock of dengue preparations, health minister Balbir Singh had stated that the goal was to reduce dengue cases by 90% this year, following a 50% reduction achieved last year compared to previous years.
But the rains flipped the record as the city recorded over 300 mm of rain in the first two weeks of September.
