Dengue tally in Gautam Budh Nagar reaches 178, door-to-door campaign to start

21 new cases reported in the district on Wednesday, of which 14 are currently under treatment at various hospitals in the district

The total number of dengue cases in Gautam Budh Nagar has reached 178, with 21 new cases reported on Wednesday, of which 14 are currently under treatment at various hospitals in the district, according to official data.

The health department is gearing up for a two-week ‘Dastak’ programme or door-to-door campaign for the identification and treatment of patients affected by various diseases like dengue and malaria, said officials. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The number of dengue cases in the district has been rising steeply this past week, with 78 new cases reported in the district since October 10.

“The cases are being monitored and while the number of cases is increasing, the situation is under control as patients are recovering quickly and the number of critical cases is low. We are carrying out testing in areas where new cases are being reported and conducting extensive fogging and anti-larvae medicine spraying drives,” said Rajesh Sharma, district malaria officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.

The health department is gearing up for a two-week ‘Dastak’ programme or door-to-door campaign for the identification and treatment of patients affected by various diseases like dengue and malaria. Under the Dastak programme, healthworkers of ASHA and Anganwadis will go door to door and educate residents on measures to be taken to prevent vector-borne and communicable diseases.

The ‘Dastak’ programme will run from October 18 to November 1.

“The healthworkers will also destroy any breeding sites of mosquitoes they find during the campaign by eliminating unnecessary water collection in the houses. Also, all local bodies and district panchayat raj officers have been requested to prevent unnecessary waterlogging, ensure regular cleaning of drains, regular lifting and disposal of garbage, regular chlorination of drinking water and trimming of bushes and vegetation,” said Sharma.

He added that the malaria department has been tasked to ensure that there is no unnecessary waterlogging in government offices by cleaning and emptying water coolers and tankers at the offices every Saturday.

A similar programme is carried out in Uttar Pradesh every year in March, July and October.