Dengue tally tops 570 in Ghaziabad, health dept adds 80 beds in allotted wards

District surveillance officer Dr Rakesh Gupta said on Friday that amid the spike in the number of cases, 80 beds have been added in dengue wards to attend to the patients, and more beds will be added if required

In the wake of the increasing number of dengue patients in the district, officials of the health department in Ghaziabad have added 80 beds in two district hospitals, including 20 beds in community health centre (CHC) in Muradnagar, said officials on Friday.

Ghaziabad reported 16 fresh dengue cases on Friday. (Sakib Ali/HT)

According to official records, with 16 fresh dengue cases in the past 24 hours, Ghaziabad reported 577 cases of dengue till Friday evening -- of which 265 cases were reported during the first half of October, they added. Of the total 577 cases, 365 patients (63.25%) were admitted to hospitals.

“Amid the spike in the number of cases, a total of 80 beds have been added in dengue wards to attend to the patients. More beds will be added if required. The capacity has been doubled against 30 beds each in MMG district hospital and Sanjay Nagar district combined hospital, and 20 more beds have been added to the Muradnagar CHC, which earlier had 10 beds,” said Dr Rakesh Gupta, district surveillance officer.

Earlier, the four CHCs in Loni, Muradnagar, Dasna and Modingar had reserved 10 beds for dengue patients only.

“Amid the spike, the current dengue situation in the district is worsening, but it is expected that the cases will show a declining trend in the coming days. 27 public address systems will be available, along with our dedicated teams, for creating awareness among the people. Pre-recorded audio clips about preventive measures to be taken against dengue will be played,” Dr Gupta added.

Dip in cases likely after Deepawali, say experts

Meanwhile, experts said that dengue cases may see a decline following the Deepawali festival.

“It is a general trend, and was witnessed during previous years too. As of now, there’s an increase in the dengue cases in the district... Due to the lengthy monsoon this year, roads across the city got waterlogged, and a sharp increase in the cases could be seen,” said Dr Ashish Agarwal, former president of Indian Medical Association, Ghaziabad chapter.

Against the total 577 dengue cases reported till Friday evening, malaria and scrub typhus cases currently stand at 16 and 39, respectively. The positivity rate in dengue cases is about 29.66% as the district has, so far, conducted 1,945 tests for the same. The positivity rate in malaria cases is very low, which stands at about 0.056%, with 28,395 tests done so far, said the officials.