Eight new dengue cases in GB Nagar in three days, tally reaches 21

Gautam Budh Nagar has reported eight new cases of dengue in the past three days, taking the tally to 21 so far this month, officials of the district health department said on Monday

Gautam Budh Nagar has reported eight new cases of dengue in the past three days, taking the tally to 21 so far this month, officials of the district health department said on Monday.

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The new cases have been reported from the district hospital, Post Graduate Institute of Child Health and a private hospital, the officials said. The first dengue case was reported on September 6.

“The district has reported a total of 21 dengue cases so far. While four patients are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, others are recovering at home,” said Dr Rajesh Sharma, district malaria officer, GB Nagar.

Last year, the district had not reported any dengue case, while 40 such cases were recorded in 2019.

After a dengue outbreak in western Uttar Pradesh districts like Agra, Mathura and Firozabad, GB Nagar has been on alert regarding the vector-borne diseases and viral fevers. Experts at the Indian Council of Medical Research have confirmed the D2 strain of dengue in samples of children who died due to a ‘mystery fever’ in some UP districts.

However, officials in GB Nagar said that none of the dengue cases in the district have shown signs of the new strain. “The new strain is deadlier and often causes haemorrhage. Experts have said that the new strain is limited to the affected districts only,” said Sharma.

Meanwhile, the district health officials are also monitoring scrub typhus and leptospirosis cases. “GB Nagar had reported three cases of scrub typhus who have all recovered now. However, there have not been any cases of leptospirosis so far,” said Sharma.

According to GB Nagar chief medical officer Dr Sunil Kumar Sharma, the district has been taking preventive measures to control breeding of mosquitoes. “Sanitation and fogging drives have been ramped up across the district to stop the spread of dengue and viral fevers. Fortunately, cases of dengue and malaria have remained low in GB Nagar so far,” said the CMO.